No contact with PPP at any level, says MQM
Fasahat Mohiuddin
Karachi: Muttahida MPAs headed by Dr Sagheer Ahmed of the Rabita Committee once again submitted applications to the Sindh Assembly Secretariat on Saturday, seeking allocation of separate opposition seats.
Later talking to the media, Dr Sagheer Ahmed said that they were not in contact at any level with the Pakistan People’s Party.
All the MQM MPAs were present on the occasion.
He said once this process was completed MQM would request for a Sindh Assembly session.
Dr Sagheer said that the MQM would now play the role of a strong opposition and all issues pertaining to the masses would be raised on the floor of the house.
He said a wrong impression was being created that the MQM had contacts with the PPP at some level, adding, “This is totally wrong and baseless.”
He said the MQM had decided in principle to sit on the opposition benches and they did not intend to join any alliance or coalition.
“The MQM is a political party and joining any alliance does not mean that it will work as a B-team or become a B-team of that alliance,” he stressed.
Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah had said the other day that the PPP’s central leadership was in contact with the top brass of the MQM in an effort to mend fences.
Shah revealed that the PPP was in contact with the MQM, which quit the PPP-led coalition governments in Sindh and at the Centre on Monday over the postponement of elections to two seats of the AJK Legislative Assembly. No decision had been taken so far over the resignations of the MQM ministers from the provincial cabinet, he said.
The chief minister said that in politics the doors for dialogue were always open, adding that allotting opposition benches was the discretion of the Speaker of the Sindh Assembly.
Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Ambassador to Pakistan Foost Reintjes visited the MQM Azizabad headquarters ‘90’ and held in-depth talks with Deputy Convener Farooq Sattar on the prevailing situation in the country as well as on the promotion of democracy and bilateral relations between the two countries. He was accompanied by New Zealand’s Consul in Karachi Tariq M Khan and First Secretary Stefan Hulisz. Member Rabita Committee Kanwar Khalid Younus, MQM’s Deputy parliamentary leader in National Assembly Haider Abbas Rizvi and Ms Khush Bakht Shujaat MNA were also present on the occasion. Later, Dr Farooq Sattar presented Altaf Hussain’s book “My Life’s Journey” to the NZ envoy.
Source: The News
Date:7/3/2011
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