Lawmakers from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) walked out from Parliament on Friday to protest against a statement by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader against the division of Sindh.
Earlier on Thursday, president of PTI’s Sindh chapter Nadir Akmal Khan Leghari said the division of Sindh would not be acceptable at any cost. “As a Sindhi, I condemn any talk of dividing Sindh,” he said at a news conference.
Addressing the house before the walkout, MQM’s Farooq Sattar said Leghari’s statement in favour of administrative units in all provinces but Sindh had hurt the sentiments of people in the urban areas of Sindh. These people, he said, contributed 90% of the revenue generated from Sindh but had only a 5% share in expenditure.
“There is a sense of deprivation prevailing in the urban cities of Sindh due to discriminatory treatment and it will create difficulties,” he said. The MQM lawmaker added that there was a need for a decentralised administrative system as the population increased manifold.
“Where will we go if this country does not listen to us and denies us justice,” said Sattar. He added that the party would chalk out its future strategy after a response from the prime minister and opposition leader regarding MQM’s demand of dividing Sindh on an administrative basis.
In a press statement, MQM chief Altaf Hussain too said the PTI leader’s statement had hurt the sentiments of people living in urban Sindh. Condemning the reaction from nationalist parties as well as PTI, Altaf said those opposing administrative units in Sindh were playing a double game since they supported a similar step in other provinces.
MQM leader Haider Abbas Rizvi also lashed out at PTI at a news conference in Karachi on Friday evening. “PTI has called for better governance and devolution of powers in all provinces except Sindh,” he said.
“Is Sindh not a part of their new Pakistan? We are all as much Sindhi as Nadir Akmal Leghari,” Rizvi added. The MQM leader reiterated the demand for formation of units all over the country, including Sindh.
Rizvi said that while Leghari was opposed to administrative units in Sindh, PTI MNA Arif Alvi was in support of such a move.
“MQM has never demanded division of Sindh nor does it want the province to be divided,” he clarified. “We only want administrative units so that there is good governance and power is devolved to the grass roots level.”
Published in The Express Tribune, September 20th, 2014.
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@Syedpk: Third tier government are local bodies which are essential for progress and prosperity but MQM demand is for administrative units which would comprise many local bodies and they would become fourth tier and start power struggle with main provinces. Administrative Units are basically future provinces and demand for them is illegal and unconstitutional by anyone who has not put forward it in their election manifesto and won representation on this particular demand.
I hate to admit but I'm with MQM on this and not going to vote again to PTI for sure.
@javed, administrative unit means, third tier government working under the current provincial setup with more power and autonomy.
What is the difference between creating new administrative units in sindh and division of sindh?. I am unable to understand the philosophy of MQM about the division of sindh?
There has been said much for and against, the revenue collection of karachi, but i will steer clear of that. My main focus is to diminish the very influence that vested interests have in upholding cultural and regional differences among the pakistanis. It is this very notion that has claimed many innocent lives for which the only solution is division of all of pakistan into a hundred provinces. Which as a by product will bring improved governance as well. And the second even more relevant action would be to separate religion from state.