News
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
MQM applies for opposition benches in NA, Senate
* Mashhadi says party will not quit parliamentary committees
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Monday submitted an application in both the houses of parliament for allotment of seats on the opposition benches.
MQM’s Deputy Parliamentary Secretary in National Assembly Haider Abbas Rizvi submitted a request in the NA, while Senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi in Senate Secretariat for allotment of seats on opposition benches.
The MQM filed adjournment motions for allotment of benches, which was signed by senators Babar Ghauri, Col (r) Tahir Mashhadi, Ahmed Ali, Abdul Khaliq Pirzada, Abdul Haseeb Khan and Shirala Mallick.
Later, talking to reporters in the Parliament House, Senator Tahir said the MQM Coordination Committee had decided to quit the government that was why request has been made to make proper arrangement on opposition benches. He said the MQM was an ideological party and its roots were in the masses. He regretted that the people were facing inflation, unemployment, load shedding of power and gas. Keeping in view these facts, the MQM parted ways with the government, but it never wanted to topple the government, he added.
He said the recent increase in prices of petroleum products multiplied common man’s miseries. The situation required an immediate action by the party. The MQM demanded immediate restoration of electricity for consumers and industries and lowering of the tariff, Tahir continued.
He said morally the prime minister had no right to rule the country. Now either the president could ask him to get a fresh vote of confidence or it could be done through a resolution of no confidence.
He said the MQM would remain in parliamentary committees as it was their legal right. The coordination committee never decided to remove the prime minister, the senator said. At this critical moment, either the PML-N or the PML-Q could save the government, he added.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk