KARACHI - MQM on Sunday announced that it is quitting coalition government in Sindh, alleging PPP of discriminating against non-Sindhi population and vowing to keep its struggle for creation of separate province comprising urban Sindh.
MQM Deputy Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui made this announcement while addressing a press conference at party headquarters, Nine Zero. He said the MQM became more inclusive and changed from Muhajir Quami Movement to Muttahida Qaumi Movement in 1997, the time considered as dark period for the MQM when PPP government carried out a grand anti-MQM operation.
At that time, scores of MQM workers were murdered in extrajudicial killings while many others went missing. He said that over 300 Muhajirs have been killed in Pakka Qilla tragedy in Hyderabad in PPP rule. He termed PPP a Sindh-based political party which has been hatching conspiracies against Muhajirs and flaring up ethnic conflicts for its political advantage.
Quota System in Sindh and bills based on ethnicity by PPP government testify PPP’s anti- Muhajir policy, he said. “Karachi Water Board and Building Control has been changed to ‘Sindh’ Water Board and Building Control,” Siddiqui alleged. He said they tried their best to stabilise Sindh government and even placed their credibility at stake, but they now know that supporting PPP was like destabilising Pakistan.
Siddiqui alleged that people from urban Sindh are not being given their due share in the government. It’s not just about the rights of Urdu-speaking people, all ethnicities are united under the banner of MQM and support our fight for the rights of urban Sindh, he added. “We demand new administrative units throughout Pakistan, including a rightly deserved province for urban Sindh.”
The MQM leader said that PPP has given them over 100 years stuff for politics but MQM remains committed to not follow the politics of bloodshed and ethnicity. He said MQM chief Altaf Hussain always declined to cash opportunities presented by PPP to secure political advantage on ethnic grounds and he welcomed all inhabitants of the province for smooth democratic process. The MQM leader said that Altaf Hussain supported the Sindhi prime minister and even welcomed PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari at MQM headquarters.
MQM deputy convener said his party won’t tolerate derogatory language against its chief Altaf Hussain anymore, adding that whatever they had tolerated so far was just on the directives of Altaf Hussain. He said that on Eid day, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto levelled allegations against Altaf Hussian and issued him threats, “let me make it clear, workers of MQM cannot tolerate anyone badmouthing against our leader”.
He added that statement of Khursheed Shah against the entire Urdu-speaking community and the remarks made by PPP chairman in Karachi rally were a continuation of their discriminatory politics. He said that Bilawal Zardari can inherit Bambino Cinema but not the chairmanship of PPP because he was a Zardari (by his character).
Siqqidui said PPP chairman and politics of PPP forced them to part ways with the PPP-led Sindh government. It has been decided at the time of 18th Amendment that powers must be transferred to the grassroots level but nothing has been done in last seven years. Khursheed Shah’s abusive remarks against Muhajirs have laid the foundation stone for the formation of urban Sindh province, he concluded.