MQM-P threatens to quit govt over unmet demands

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has threatened to quit the federal government over what a senior party leader described as unmet demands.

Addressing a press conference in Karachi on Sunday, MQM-P senior leader Dr Farooq Sattar issued a “final warning” to the federal government, stating that the party will opt to move to the opposition benches if its long-standing grievances are not resolved immediately.

He warned that the party’s 22 lawmakers would formally write to the National Assembly speaker to allocate them seats on the opposition benches if key agreements regarding the recovery of missing party workers, the implementation of local government empowerment under Article 140-A, the Sindh governorship, and an urban development package for Karachi are not met.

“In 2022, an agreement was signed between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and MQM-P, which was witnessed and guaranteed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif himself,” Sattar said. “This is our final warning. The prime minister must ensure the implementation of this accord.”

Dr Sattar, whose party is a coalition partner in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led federal government, also called for the creation of a distinct administrative unit to hand the management of Karachi over to the federal government. He further demanded that Islamabad clarify the status of the Sindh governor.

Meanwhile, the threat drew sharp criticism from the PPP.

Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon dismissed the press conference as “political blackmailing” and accused the MQM-P of trying to deflect blame for its own political failures.

“Using federal intervention for political pressure is clear evidence of blackmailing. MQM-P has lost the public’s trust and is now looking for shortcuts,” Memon said in a statement. “Demanding that Sindh’s affairs be handed over to the federation is a conspiracy against the country’s federal structure.”

Memon said that the people of Sindh had given a clear democratic mandate to the PPP, which could not be altered by “threats or political maneuvering.” He advised the MQM-P to question its federal allies rather than targeting the provincial government.

The MQM-P holds 22 seats in the National Assembly and Prime Minister Sharif’s coalition government relies heavily on its allies to maintain a fragile majority in the lower house of parliament.