Bilawal urges MQM again to quit PTI-led coalition

Bureau Report

KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday again urged the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to resign from their ministries, saying the incompetent government has not resolved even a single issue.
Talking to media persons, he expressed that if the MQM really stands with Karachi then it should leave the ministries as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government is not capable of running the country. He added that the opposition parties are united to send the government packing, while the allies in the provinces are expressing reservations.
He said that they all should work together to solve the problems of the masses and work for the development of metropolis. “The federal government has failed to meet the demands which included police and MQM’s municipal system,” he added.
Bilawal said that there are few ideological issues between PPP and MQM, however, they should address the problems of Karachi together. He emphasized that MQM should think about why it is standing with the PTI.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Amir Khan on Friday slammed the chairman of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Bilawal Bhutto, saying that he needs to tend to the flaws in the provincial government rather than levy blame, newsmen reported.
Amir Khan said that Bilawal Bhutto needs to introspect before blaming the federal government for troubles being faced by Sindh. The MQM-P leader said that PPP has failed to give urban Sindh its due rights and should be held accountable for it.
“What will Bilawal Bhutto’s answer be on this miscarriage of justice? When will Bilawal amend laws for the local bodies set up to come back and become operational in Sindh?” question Amir Khan.
“The provincial government is embroiled in petty squabbles related to the Inspector General (IG) of the province and has kept its own self-interest atop the province’s.” The politician said that the Chairman PPP should stop worrying about MQM-P as they were not interested in occupying offices in Sindh which amount to nothing.
Amir Khan reiterated that he only has one question to ask of Bilawal Bhutto, when will he get urban Sindh its due rights? PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday advised MQM-P to rethink its alliance with the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), which is “making the lives of Karachi’s residents difficult”.
Bilawal was responding to a question regarding his offer of provincial ministries to MQM-P on the condition that the party quits its alliance with the PTI in the Centre. While he did not extend the offer again, he said: “There are a lot of ideological issues between PPP and MQM-P, but as far as Karachi’s residents are concerned, I believe that we should solve [their] issues together.”
Last year, Bilawal had offered provincial ministries in Sindh where his party is in power to MQM-P if it walks away from the PTI in the Centre.
While addressing a ceremony in Karachi at the time, Bilawal had said that if MQM-P breaks off its alliance with PTI and manages to get Sindh its share in resources, the provincial government will “stand by [MQM-P] for the sake of Karachi’s people”.
Speaking to reporters today, the PPP lawmaker said: “It is in the hands of MQM-P, that says it is standing with the people of Karachi, wants to solve their problems and admits that the federal government has not done anything and [instead] has created problems, to leave the federal government, leave the ministries and solve the problems of the people.”
Bilawal lamented that the PTI had so far failed to fulfil its promises regarding local bodies or police reforms and was “committing the economic murder of citizens”.
MQM-P is one of PTI’s allies in the federal government and its MNA Farogh Naseem holds the portfolio of the federal ministry for law. MQM-P convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui held the portfolio of information technology but he resigned earlier this month, saying that “staying in the federal cabinet seem(ed) futile”. His resignation had come weeks after Bilawal publicly urged MQM-P to quit its alliance with PTI.