- MQM-P leader urges Bilawal to seek resignations of Sindh CM, Karachi Mayor and Memon, asserting ‘they adding burden to PPP’
- Demands independent judicial commission to probe fire, reject govt machinery inquiry
- Compares Gul Plaza disaster to Battle of Waterloo, warns leadership will be haunted
- Accuses Sindh forensic lab staff of inexperience; highlights lack of disaster preparedness
KARACHI: Amid an ongoing war of words between the ruling coalition partners — the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) — MQM-P leader Farooq Sattar on Tuesday urged PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to demand the resignations of Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, and Senior Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, calling for Karachi to be handed over to the control of the Centre.
The verbal clash between the two parties has intensified following the tragic Gul Plaza fire in Karachi.
Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Sattar described the three PPP leaders as “three naive friends” of Bilawal Bhutto, asserting that they had added an enormous “burden” to the PPP’s “ship that could sink it.”
“Reduce this burden,” he urged, insisting that Bilawal seek the resignation of all three.
“What if another disaster strikes? They are dragging you into a swamp. The people of Karachi, and Sindh’s cities, demand that all three resign,” he said.
Sattar emphasised that MQM-P was not directly demanding the resignations but was calling on Bilawal to make the decision after consulting with PPP patriarch President Asif Ali Zardari. He acknowledged that the PPP still had capable individuals who believed in dialogue and engagement, in line with the ideology of former leaders Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto.
However, Sattar lamented that despite repeated attempts over the past one-and-a-half years, he had failed to secure a meeting with Bilawal. “I gave him a chit in every NA session, and he is still not willing to meet us,” he said, adding that this would be his “last” attempt.
The MQM-P leader also refrained from discussing the formation of the Sindh government at length, alleging rigging in the mayoral elections won by Murtaza Wahab in June 2023.
MQM-P reiterates demand for judicial commission
During the press conference, Sattar reiterated MQM-P’s demand for a judicial commission to investigate the Gul Plaza blaze. “I am asking Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari sahib to form a judicial commission on the incident … and ignore his ignorant friends,” he said.
Sattar compared the Gul Plaza tragedy to the Battle of Waterloo of 1815, warning that the incident would “haunt” the PPP leadership.
“This Gul Plaza will not leave you. You will neither sleep at night nor find peace by day … Form the judicial commission. This will haunt you badly. This is your Waterloo,” he remarked.
He stressed that compensation and inquiries should not be conducted by government machinery alone but by an independent, high-level commission.
Sattar also lauded the Punjab government’s response to a recent Lahore hotel fire, in which 275 people were safely evacuated, though three lives were lost.
Responding to PPP claims that MQM-P was politicising the Gul Plaza incident, Sattar asserted:
“Neither did we raise questions during the first 72 hours of the incident, nor did we engage in politics. The questions came from the nation and the media: Where were the officials, and why did they arrive after 24 hours? How many fire brigades exist in Karachi, and how many were installed by the Sindh government? How were trader unions engaged, and what SOPs have been set for the future?”
He accused staff at the Sindh Forensic DNA and Serology Laboratory (SFDL), responsible for identifying victims, of being inexperienced and inadequately trained.
Sattar also questioned the Karachi Strategic Development Plan approved by CM Murad, noting the absence of a provincial disaster management institution under the plan.
When asked about the federal government’s perceived neglect of Karachi, Sattar said the matter would be addressed in a separate press conference. When reminded that no federal representative visited the Gul Plaza site either, he reiterated that the federal role would be discussed later.
MQM-P leader Haider Abbas Rizvi, accompanying Sattar, added that the party still had “hopes” from the federal government and that they were “waiting and watching” the conduct of officials, indicating further engagement if necessary.
