KARACHI:
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has decided to defer en masse resignations by its lawmakers from provincial and federal legislatures at the request of the chief of his eponymous faction of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
All legislators of the MQM had submitted their resignations to the party on Wednesday on the instructions of their party chief. The MQM leader had billed the ongoing joint session of the parliament as a sham, saying that his party did not want to be part of a corrupt system. He had strongly criticised the speeches made by MPs from ruling party, its allies and opposition as an attempt to deceive the public.
Maulana Fazl spoke to MQM chief Altaf Hussain by phone on Saturday to discuss the current political turmoil in the country. He advised Altaf to review the decision. He insisted that since the MQM was one of the leading political parties that had pressed the government to negotiate with the protesting parties, it should not adopt such extreme measures.
MQM’s Rabita Committee member Aminul Haque told The Express Tribune that Altaf has “put off the decision for the time being”. “The decision was taken in the best interest of the country which is currently facing torrential rains and devastating floods,” he added.
After the telephone conversation with the JUI-F chief, Altaf announced that his party’s MPs will attend and actively participate in the joint sitting of the parliament which will resume on Monday.
The two leaders also conceded that the protest sit-ins of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek should be postponed in light of the heavy rains. They discussed the flood situation in Punjab and Azad Kashmir and urged all political parties to join hands to help the affected population.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 7th, 2014.
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@sane voice: Any man who can shut down urban Sindh in less than 15 minutes after the snap of his fingers, doesn't need to feel relevant. He can destroy Pakistan's fragile economy from his living room, and organize an ocean of people just by thinking about it. He is the most powerful man in Pakistan, and don't you ever forget it.
Poor guy was feeling left out nd had to create some drama to feel relevant
All drama , any one asks or not to withdraw or review the decision , MQM will never resign from the Assemblies , it is evident from the previous experiences . MQM always threats and traps the Government and than succedes in it .Same game has been played once againg . There are also rigging charges against MQM and it is a fact ,at large rigging has been made .
Altaf Hussain please make up your mind. You are making it very difficult for your supporters to explain these actions of yours.