Change in the opposition: MQM takes charge as Mahar steps down

Speaker declares MQM MPA Khawaja Izharul Hassan the new leader of the opposition

KARACHI: In a surprising move, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) took charge of the opposition benches in the Sindh Assembly after the leader of the opposition, Pakistan Muslim League-Functional's (PML-F) Shaharyar Mahar, stepped down on Wednesday.

The speaker of the Sindh Assembly, Agha Diraj Durrani, accepted Mahar's resignation and declared MQM MPA Khawaja Izharul Hassan as leader of the opposition.

Independent observers said that the move came after Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari held a meeting with Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad and spoke to MQM chief Altaf Hussain over the phone on Tuesday, possibly to discuss the setup of a 'friendly' opposition.

Early on Wednesday morning, the MQM parliamentarians held a meeting at the Sindh Assembly, headed by the party's parliamentary leader, Syed Sardar Ahmed. Following this meeting, an application signed by 44 of MQM's 51 parliamentarians was sent to the secretary of the Sindh Assembly, requesting to declare Hassan as the opposition leader. Hassan was the party's deputy parliamentary leader in the Sindh Assembly.

Meanwhile, Mahar announced his resignation at a press conference. "The MQM is in majority and is a key party," he asserted. "It is their right to have an opposition leader in the assembly." Mahar, who belongs to Shikarpur district, added that the MQM only talks about Karachi while his party raised the issues of the entire province.

The PML-F MPA was appointed as the opposition leader last May, winning the support of 22 out of 25 opposition members when the MQM had joined the PPP as part of the Sindh government. Before him, Faisal Subzwari of the MQM had been serving as leader of the opposition.

A notification issued by GM Umar Farooq, the secretary of the provincial assembly, stated that 44 members of the MQM belonging to opposition benches had requested to declare Hassan as opposition leader. The notification added that the speaker, in accordance of the provisions of sub-rule (3) of Rule 25 of the Rules of Procedure of the provincial assembly, had declared Hassan as leader of the opposition with immediate effect.

Hassan told The Express Tribune that his focus will be on the uniform distribution of resources and on merit. "We will play the role of a strong opposition," he claimed. "Instead of just criticising and criticising, we will appreciate the good work of the government as well as highlight the wrongdoings."

The MQM leader said that his first press conference will be about the water issue, adding that it was wrong of PML-F to say that the party only discussed the issues of Karachi. "The MQM was the first party to speak about Tharparkar."

Published in The Express Tribune, April 30^th, 2015.