Print Print edition: 2018-04-23

Shahbaz Sharif in Karachi

Published April 23, 2018 Updated April 23, 2018 12:00am

Pakistan Muslim League (N) chief and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is in Karachi. This is his second visit of the Sindh capital after his election as party chief. Although the Sindh governor's house will be hosting him during his visit, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement(P) or the MQM's Bahadurabad faction has displayed huge banners welcoming him to the city. He was at the Bahadurabad office of MQM. The PML-N chief seems to have found in MQM-P its natural ally. The unraveling of the MQM has thrown up a huge opportunity for all mainstream parties, including the PTI, PML-N, ANP, PPP and Jamaat-e-Islami, to grab it with both hands. Each party stands a good chance to brighten its electoral prospects in urban Sindh due to MQM infighting. Mustafa Kamal-led Pak Sarzameen Party and even Afaq Ahmad-led Mohajir Qaumi Movement will surely cash in on the intra-MQM bickering. Forging an electoral alliance with MQM could help PML-N to enter the urban Sindh electoral arena on a better footing. This move may also help MQM to minimize the damage that it is surely going to suffer in the upcoming general elections.