Friday, July 28 2006 16:52 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Even as the Pakistani opposition parties at the federal level accelerated efforts to move a no-confidence motion against the Shaukat Aziz Government, lawmakers of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) in Sindh province resigned, precipitating a political crisis.

The crisis in Sindh took by surprise even President Pervez Musharraf who was present in provincial capital Karachi, media reports said.

During his stay there, Musharraf had announced that there would be no change in Sindh's leadership and Arbab Abdur Rahim would continue as chief minister.

MQM is not comfortable with Rahim, media reports said.

In Sindh, MQM is an ally of the pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League (Qaid). According to reports, the resignation move in Sindh province has the approval of MQM's supreme leader Altaf Hussain, who has for many years been in exile in London.

However, MQM said that even after the resignations of its lawmakers, it would not sit on the opposition benches, so as to increase pressure on Musharraf to replace Rahim.

Informed of the resignations by Sindh Governor Ishrat-u-Ibad, the president reportedly asked that they be held in abeyance and efforts be made to resolve the crisis through negotiations.

At the parliamentary level, the Islamist alliance Muttahida Majlid-e-Amal (MMA), which has a significant presence in parliament and controls the governments in Balochistan and North West Frontier Province (NWFP), announced that it would join ranks with the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) to press a no-trust move against the Aziz government.

Quoting sources in different political parties and the government, The News said top opposition leaders would meet by Aug 1 to decide the date for submitting a no-confidence motion against the prime minister before the start of the session.

The motion is likely to be submitted by Aug 3.

Musharraf has deputed his long-time confidant, National Security Council Secretary Tariq Aziz, to resolve the Sindh crisis.

Well-placed sources told The News late Thursday that Tariq Aziz was expected to leave for London to hold talks with MQM chief Altaf Hussain.

Paving the way for the Aziz-Hussain talk would be a phone call to London by Musharraf himself, the newspaper said.

Aziz has been 'activated' to resolve the Sindh crisis, before it could affect adversely the situation at the federal level, media reports said.

Aziz had been troubleshooting with India on the external front and political 'friends and foes' on the domestic scene.

Aziz was also the interlocutor before the 2002 parliamentary elections and is well versed with the domestic political scene.