Amid rising political temperature in the country, the Muttahidda Qaumi Movement-Pakistan has also become active, with Senior Deputy Convener Amir Khan and Deputy Convener Wasim Akhtar meeting different political leaders as well as journalists on their tour to Punjab.
Addressing media in Lahore on Monday, MQM-P leader Aamir Khan questioned how they could be satisfied with Prime Minister Imran Khan when the people of Pakistan were not. He said the MQM-P is already concerned about the rising inflation in the country. “The doors of MQM-P are open for everyone. We are the government’s ally but we have complaints about bad governance,” he said.
The MQM-P leader also censured the PPP and said despite being in power for the last 15 years, the party has not carried out any development work in Sindh province. He regretted that the police resorted to shelling and baton charge on MQM-P workers outside the CM House in Karachi during their ‘peaceful’ protest against the recently passed amendments to Sindh Local Government Act of 2013. “We were in favour of talks but the Sindh government resorted to violence,” he said.
On Monday, the MQM-P leaders also held a meeting with Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) and sought media’s support for highlighting party’s struggle for democracy and rule of law in the country.
A day earlier on Sunday, the MQM-P leaders had called on ANP central general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain, provincial president Aimal Wali Khan, Sardar Hussian Babak, Senator Hidayatullah, Mukhtiar Khan, Shakeel Bashir Umarzai and Khadim Hussain at Wali Bagh and held a detailed meeting to discuss a wide range of political issues. Both the parties had agreed to to join hands for strengthening of democracy and devolution of power to grassroots level in the country.
It is reported that the MQM-P leaders are also expected to meet PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif in Lahore on Tuesday (today).
Political pundits see MQM-P’s political activism as a pressure tactics as the opposition parties are trying to build a consensus on tabling no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan. They believe that on one side the MQM-P wants to cash in on the situation where the ruling party is under pressure in the wake of growing calls for no-trust motion, but at the same time the party is also reaching out to other political parties to reserve its space in any future set-up if a political change happens in the parliament.
