ISLAMABAD: The first round of talks between the government and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) held at Punjab House — pertaining to the formation of a committee to address their grievances — ended here on Tuesday

After the session, MQM leader Kunwar Naveed said that the government has agreed with most of their demands. Another MQM leader Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif on the occasion said that talks between the two sides are progressing towards the right direction.

He further said that the next round of talks is expected to be held this evening after a two hour break.

Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed along with other government officials were also present in the meeting with Dr Farooq Sattar heading the MQM delegation.

The meeting discussed the terms of reference (ToR) for the grievances redressal committee as MQM will reconsider its decision regarding resignations after receiving assurances from the government regarding their concerns.

Yesterday, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam – Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had announced that the MQM had agreed to review its decision to resign from Parliament after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said he will form a committee to address their grievances.

Fazl had said an MQM delegation detailed its grievances in talks with the government yesterday, adding that the premier heard all their reservations and assured the party they will be dealt with swiftly.

In this regard, Fazl had announced that the premier had ordered the formation of a grievances redressal committee for today (Tuesday).

The JUI-F chief had said the MQM welcomed the prime minister’s initiative, agreeing to reconsider its decision to resign from the National Assembly, Senate and the Sindh Assembly.

The committee, he had said, will be mandated to record in detail the grievances presented by the MQM and will find ways in which these can be dealt with.

The Maulana said all further modalities will be finalised at the time of constitution of the committee, which will include lawmakers from the government and other political parties.

Responding to a question, Fazl had said a time frame for the committee to finalise its conclusions will also be decided when the committee is constituted.

MQM lawmakers had simultaneously submitted their resignations in the National Assembly, Senate and the Sindh Assembly on Wednesday August 12, 2015 due to reservations over the Rangers-led operation in Karachi.

The MQM legislators had accused the law enforcement agencies of discriminatory action against MQM, forced disappearances and extra judicial killings.

The prime minister had then requested the JUI-F head to hold talks with the MQM leadership in an attempt to convince them to withdraw their resignations.

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman visited the MQM headquarters earlier this week but the mission remained inconclusive in the wake of an attempt on the life of Muttahida MNA Rashid Godil. However the two sides had agreed to put the talks on hold for a while and start the process again in a couple of days in Islamabad.

But before the next round of talks could begin, MQM in a statement said its members’ resignations from all three legislative floors were final, adding that it would not partake in dialogue over the matter anymore.