That Rashid Soomro's case is a strong reflection of the dynamics of politics in rural Sindh where MQM is largely considered a political party inimical to the province's integrity is a reality that found its best expression at a press conference addressed by the leaders of a Sindhi nationalist party in a town not very far away from where Maulana Soomro had offered his "clarification" through a press conference under intense media glare. According to media reports, not only did Jeay Sindh Mahaz (JSM) chairman Riaz Chandio criticise Maulana Fazl for his engagement with MQM on the issue of resignations of its legislators, he also reminded him that his party's former secretary general, Dr Khalid Soomro, was always critical of MQM's demand for a separate province.
But they seem to have lost sight of a key fact that visiting MQM headquarters to successfully persuade its leadership to come back to parliament is not an initiative that the Maulana has taken on his own; he's acting in accordance with a decision the political parties, including PML-N, reached to avert a parliamentary crisis the exit of MQM parliamentarians could have triggered only days after the resolution of the issue of PTI MNAs. It also seems to have afforded the Maulana an occasion to bring thaw in largely unsavoury JUI(F)-MQM relations in a city that has already thrown up an opportunity for JUI-F's major rival party in KPK, PTI, to nurse legitimate ambitions in relation to not only the next general elections but also the upcoming local government polls.
Although it is not known how the Maulana has measured his role of a mediator in relation to his party's prospects in the local bodies and general election, it is quite clear that his direct contact with MQM will definitely accrue him certain political benefits in a province that hosts a very large number of Deobandi seminaries.
Briefing the prime minister about his meeting with the MQM leadership, the Maulana is said to have expressed his strong optimism about the resolution of the issue, which is nowhere near Sheikh Mujib's demands. His confidence perhaps stems from his meeting with MQM leaders whom he praised for demonstrating a positive attitude despite a murderous attack on a fellow party leader. The Maulana seems to be following in the footsteps of his father. His dialogue with MQM, therefore, provides one with an opportunity to think deeply about how Mufti Mahmud, who was highly critical of Sheikh Mujib's Six Points, still went ahead - as a result of a broader understanding among political parties - and held a meeting with the Awami League supremo with a view to successfully persuading him to modify his Six Points. But Mujib did not agree to Mufti's advice. Later, the object of Mufti Mehmud's criticism was no longer Mujib; he was seen flaying President Yahya for postponing the assembly session and denouncing PPP leadership for further deepening the crisis. Driven by political astuteness and pragmatism, Maulana Fazl seems to be the most legitimate inheritor of qualities and weaknesses that his late father, Maulana Mufti Mahmud, had bequeathed to him.-The writer is newspaper's News Editor