Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain called the joint session of parliament a ‘drama’ and a ‘sham’ as his parliamentarians and senators submitted their resignations to the party’s deputy convener on Wednesday.
Altaf said that he was giving a week’s time to the assemblies to straighten their act and function properly otherwise, the resignations would be submitted to the respective houses of parliament.
Currently, the party has 51 parliamentarians in the Sindh Assembly, 25 seats in the National Assembly and seven senators.
Party parliamentarians, who submitted their resignations to deputy convener Dr Nusrat Shaukat on Wednesday, said that one reason behind this step was the indifferent and unresponsive attitude of other parties during Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui’s speech in the assembly on Tuesday.
“When Khalid Maqbool was speaking, no party was showing interest and everyone was talking to one another,” said one MNA not wanting to be named. Meanwhile, Altaf is also said to be unhappy with Khalid Maqbool’s speech in the National Assembly, during which he called Nawaz Sharif a captain of democracy while warning the PTI indirectly that if they dare eye Karachi, they would face severe consequences.
Another parliamentarian said the MQM chief has been angry with senior leaders and last month, during a press briefing, Altaf had strictly ordered his lawmakers to visit their constituencies, listen to the problems of the masses and perform duties at sector offices.
Party officials denied the resignations had anything to do with Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) or Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). MQM supports the armed forces and believes that the prime minister’s statement in which he had said that the PTI and the PAT had called for army’s interference had damaged the image of the army.
Regarding the resignations, MQM chief Altaf Hussain, in a press statement, said that in this emergency bicameral session, the parliamentarians are fooling the public by giving fiery speeches. He declared that MQM would not become a part of this system, saying that he was disappointed with the political crisis and had tried his best that issues are resolved through dialogue.
General workers convention postponed
The angry party chief of the MQM Wednesday morning said that he was saddened by the irresponsible behaviour of his party leaders. He would ask his workers in a general workers convention later in the day if he could be relieved of his duty as the party head.
However, on Wednesday evening at the Lal Qila ground, when workers had gathered in the premises to listen to his address, an announcement was made informing the public that because of unavoidable reasons, the convention had been postponed till Thursday evening.
Unlike previous occasions when Altaf had threatened to resign and party workers had become emotionally charged, this time, the workers appeared unmoved.
In the convention, Altaf is said to be making important announcements, including major changes in the party’s Rabita Committee.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 4th, 2014.
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They said the same things about Qadri, "Canadian -- ran away --- will not come back / should come back and lead his people". Qadri highly educated phd Doctor, internationally accepted preacher has come back and he was welcomed with 14 of his followers dead, his plane hijacked like Musharraf's plane, just to scare him. Instead of Qadri getting panicky these fraud degree politicians don't seem to understand what Doctor Sahib is talking. The same way Imran has aroused the educated class and what these educated class is talking is beyond the comprehension of poor fraud degree Parliamentarians. Now they are exciting Altaf Bhai, who is leading another educated middle class MQM, to come back to Pakistan, which will be a real fun.
@Zahid:
Leaders should be local and real, and not virtual.
May Allah protect Pakistan from opportunist, corrupt, and dishonest politicians..