ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Peoples Party leadership has finally decided to go for a mass-scale offensive against the miscreants in Karachi, who were sabotaging the peace of the financial hub of the country since long, and to put in action the structural reforms agenda envisaged for the port City by the PPP leadership. Sources in the PPP informed The Nation that PPP was having the full blessings of the Establishment, while Awami National Party, one of the main stakeholders in Karachi, was also backing them in their plans. But still many stakeholders were looking at the changes taking place on the political horizon of the port City with skepticism and considering it another ploy of PPP to browbeat MQM to bring them down to their own terms. The restoration of Commissionerate System in Karachi and decision to bring structural reforms in Local Bodies and district administration in Karachi are some of the steps vehemently opposed by the MQM throughout their stay in the government for past over three years and there is strong likelihood that they could come back on negotiating table to have some give and take on the contentious matters, in case the PPP would go by its decision. Sources aware of the behind the scene developments informed The Nation that President Asif Ali Zardari was in constant touch with Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan and it was made clear to him that in case the MQM would go with the PML-N to create problems for the government then PPP would pay it back in the same coin in Karachi. Sources in the PPP further informed that PPP was fully backed by Awami National Party in its plans for Karachi which included restoration of old Commissionerate System in Karachi, restoration of the five districts with major structural changes in the administrative set up at each district. Sources further said that to spruce up the administrative control of the port City it could be divided into seven instead of five districts with separate and independent Commissionerate System at each district. Similarly, instead of 18 towns the City could be divided into 25 towns, ostensibly to improve the administration but actually to weaken the control of MQM in certain areas. In second stage, the delimitation of the constituencies would be made and at the same time the unregistered voters, who according to some rough estimates were well over three million, would be registered and ultimately the whole demography of Karachi would be changed. The hue and cry from Awami National Party to hand over the law and order system of the City to Army was also aimed at subduing the MQM to a docile role in Opposition like the one adopted by Jamiat-i-Ulema-i-Islam. Political observers monitoring the situation were of the view that MQM would not let the government rob them of their mandate in the port City and they would retaliate with full force and not let the government fulfil their plan easily. They further said that the political crisis in Karachi was so volatile and intense that it could spread to the other parts of the country as well, particularly in the Punjab where the major political force, PML-N is already waiting for some opportunity to hit down the government to the ground. In the given situation the main responsibility rests with the ruling PPP to act wisely and not let the hawks in their ranks to ride the situation and let the saner and cooler elements in the party to handle this volatile situation, as it has all the potential of derailing the incumbent political dispensation and once derailed there would be every possibility that some undemocratic force could step in.