News
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
MQM decides to quit Sindh coalition* Raza Haroon says it is not possible for MQM to support PPP anymore
* MQM lawmakers boycott Sindh Assembly session
* MQM delegation to meet Zardari today
KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) Coordination Committee, after a lengthy meeting on Monday, decided to quit the coalition with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in Sindh, primarily because of the provincial home minister’s outburst against the party.
“The MQM has alienated itself from the PPP. It can’t go along with the ruling party in current political circumstances,” said MQM’s Raza Haroon after the coordination committee’s meeting. He said that it would not be possible for the MQM to support the PPP anymore. “The decision has been taken in a joint session of the MQM’s Coordination Committee in Pakistan and London,” he added.
“The party has conveyed its decision to the prime minister and the president,” Haroon, who was accompanied by Faisal Sabzwari and Haider Abbas Rizvi, told reporters.
The political situation, which worsened after Sindh Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza’s fiery speech against the MQM on Sunday, could not be bettered until Monday evening despite the contacts made by Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik with Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan and MQM chief Altaf Hussain.
Reportedly, Mirza also made an appearance before the media to clarify his position. He expressed disappointment over the sudden reaction of the MQM and said that “the MQM is a party which has a large majority of educated and decent people in its ranks, but their remarks have disappointed me”.
A fresh war of words between Mirza and the MQM erupted after the home minister said that the People’s Peace (Aman) Committee was a sister organisation of the PPP and dubbing all its members as criminals would be tantamount to levelling the same allegation against him. On the other hand, the MQM alleged that Mirza’s statement showed his “open support” for criminals and terrorists.
Meanwhile, the lawmakers of the MQM boycotted the Sindh Assembly’s session on Monday over Mirza’s remarks. Their benches remained vacant in the provincial assembly hall. Raza Haroon said his party would continue to boycott the provincial assembly session as well as the upcoming sessions of the National Assembly and Senate. He said his party would meet the president and formally convey the decision of the coordination committee on Tuesday (today), adding that the MQM delegation would be led by party’s Deputy Convener, Dr Farooq Sattar.
MQM sources told Daily Times that the meeting would be held at 3pm and would discuss reservations of the MQM. In a late night development, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani telephoned MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar to reduce tension between the two parties. Gilani assured Sattar of improved relations between both the parties in the future, the sources added. staff report/daily times monitor
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk