MQM-P reiterates key demands after PM meeting

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has restated its demands for empowered local governments, the recovery of its missing workers and broader political representation for urban Sindh, saying these matters were taken up in its recent meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The party’s parliamentary strategy and major political priorities were reviewed at a meeting held at its Bahadurabad headquarters on Sunday under the chairmanship of MQM-P Chairman Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. During the session, Dr Siddiqui briefed lawmakers on the talks with the prime minister and said the MQM-P delegation had placed its core demands before the federal government.

According to Dr Siddiqui, the party asked for full implementation of Article 140-A of the Constitution in accordance with Supreme Court rulings so that local government institutions are given effective authority. He also told the meeting that MQM-P’s proposed constitutional amendment aimed at strengthening local bodies came under discussion with the prime minister.

Dr Siddiqui further said the issue of the party’s missing workers was also raised with the federal government during the meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Urban Sindh representation and development issues

Addressing the meeting, senior MQM-P leader Dr Farooq Sattar said that after the 1972 ethnic riots, a political convention took shape in Sindh under which the governor came from urban Sindh while the chief minister belonged to rural Sindh. He said the arrangement was meant to maintain political balance and ensure representation for all permanent residents of the province.

Dr Sattar said MQM-P maintains that the party holding the electoral mandate in urban Sindh should have representation in the Governor House. He added that the party’s discussions with the federal government also included development funding for urban Sindh.

He said special development packages for Karachi and Hyderabad were also discussed during the talks. Dr Sattar also urged the party’s legislators to play an effective part in parliament and the Sindh Assembly in line with the directions of the party’s parliamentary committee and the organisation’s policy.