The speaker of the Sindh provincial assembly, Nawab Mirza and provincial transport minister Bashir Ahmed Farooq, both belonging to the MQM, resigned yesterday citing personal reasons thus signalling a break-up of the alliance between the MQM and the PML, media reports said. The resignation came following the announcement made by the MQM deputy convenor, senator Aftab Sheikh, last Thursday that the party had decided in principle to part ways with the government at the federal and provincial level if killings of its workers were not stopped in Karachi.

Only two days ago the MQM's Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, who was minister for production and industries in Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's cabinet, hadsubmitted his resignation.

Though the MQM is yet to make a formal announcement of the break up of its alliance with the PML, observers believe that if the party, led by self-exiled Mohajir leader, Altaf Hussain, withdraws support to the PML-led Sindh government there is every likelihood of imposition of Governor's Rule as the government would not be able to survive without the MQM's support.The sudden escalation of violence in Karachi followed the killing of more than 10 MQM activists last week which led to the party giving a call for observing a `day of mourning' on Saturday.

With the virtual parting of ways between PML and MQM, Sharif's government has been completely isolated as all its alliance partners have now broken their alliance with the ruling party.