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| 15 March 2004 | Monday | 23 Muharram 1425 |
Muttahida unseats 3 MNAs: Ministers removed
KARACHI, March 14: In a major organizational shake-up the Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Sunday unseated its three MNAs from Karachi and replaced some of its ministers at the federal and provincial levels. The shake-up involved sacking of one federal and one provincial minister and one adviser and induction of another minister.
The MQM leadership also decided that henceforth all party decisions would be announced by the Pakistan-based coordination committee to eliminate any possibility of manipulations by 'some self-seekers'.
After an address by the party chief, Mr Altaf Hussain, to the general workers gathering here, chief of the coordination committee Anwar Alam announced that MNAs, Azizullah Brohi (NA-246), Sultan Ahmad Khan advocate (NA-243), and Sarkaruddin advocate (NA-240) had tendered resignations which would be sent to the Election Commission for organizing by-elections.
The three MNAs, who belong to Karachi, have cited domestic reasons for not being available to dispense party responsibility. Mr Brohi was elected from Azizabad and, according to the decision of coordination committee, his successor also would be a Sindhi.
At the federal level, Communications Minister Ahmad Ali has been replaced by Babar Ghori whereas in Sindh, Adviser on Health Noman Sehgal has been axed and the portfolio has been given to Naeem Ishtiaq MPA, who will be a minister. Rauf Siddiqui has been replaced as Excise and Taxation Minister by Syed Shakir Ali, MPA from PS-48 from Hyderabad. Qamar Mansoor has been inducted as provincial minister for sports and culture.
Although the MQM leadership underplayed the changes but the speeches made by Mr Altaf Hussain and coordination committee members here clearly indicated that they were made in the face of a lot of in-house criticism by workers.
The decision was taken amid mounting criticism of some of the ministers and legislators within the party, and expression of displeasure by Mr Hussain during the past few months.
In the last workers' convention, the criticism was voiced and Mr Hussain was given carte blanche to remove any minister or legislator. According to MQM tradition, its deputies hand in undated resignations to the party chief when they are given the party ticket.
The MQM was trying to revamp its team to meet the requirements of a change in the province which could become inevitable if its grievances were not addressed.
In his speech, Mr Hussain firmly declared that the MQM was an ideological party striving to serve the masses and would not allow anyone to use its platform for fostering personal agenda.
Before making a categorical announcement about the major organizational change, Mr Hussain solicited people's consent for going ahead with it. All those present there supported the idea with a loud 'yes'.
Mr Hussain said the change was part of the party's policy of self-accountability which would usher in new blood. Mr Hussain said there were reports that some people were giving an impression that they had very special relations with him and had direct connection with 'London'.
He said many things had been attributed to him although he was not aware of them. In order to curb this tendency of manipulation at home, it was decided that all decisions would henceforth be announced by the coordination committee in Karachi. Even the coordination committee in London would send its proposals to the Pakistan-based committee for consideration and necessary action.
He nevertheless said that if the workers felt it necessary, after exhausting all efforts with the Pakistan-based committee, they could send their grievances to him through fax.
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