Regardless of the source posted. the establishment has still a lot of push into what the MQM does. This link was renewed during the Musharraf era... The simple reason being that the MQM is the only party that has the demonstrated potential to provide a bullwark against religious extremism in Karachi. While the PPP is also quite moderate in its views, its influence in karachi is very limited as compared to MQM and it does not have the will power to take on the elements of the Taliban. While ANP is also opposed to the Talibanization of Karachi.. its power is less effective. The major force pushing in extremist elements into Karachi are the Islamist parties in the JI and the like. Their support and influence in promoting intolerance with religion and promoting the drug trade to finance the Taliban has been so bad that longtime rivals ANP and MQM have joined hands at certain times to tackle them.
In a rare case of letting go of ethnic divide.. the past elections features alliances between the political workers of ANP and MQM to boot out JI. In one rather humorous incident.. yours truly was witness to an incident involving political workers of the MQM and ANP arguing near the Clifton Traffic police office with the polling station...there were some heated slogans involved till a JI contingent showed up.. and they pushed and kicked aside some MQM workers.. which led to a sudden turn from arguing to a common punch and kick throwing spree by the ANP and MQM folks at the JI group. In less than a minute the JI workers were on their heels running from that approach to the polling station. What followed next was something out of a cartoon.. within the narrow lanes of that location...was a mob of 50 or so MQM and ANP workers running around from spot to spot at any sign of a JI worker who kept trying to get in but were chased away or if one was caught.. beaten up.
All this was watched merrily by the Rangers, who were too busy looking out for the privileged class coming in to vote for PTI..(who were escorted into the polling room with only PTI workers who in blatant violation of election rules were alone in the room..and to top it off, were casting votes themselves based on just names..but that is for another day).