KARACHI: Accusing the Pakistan Peoples Party-led Sindh government of violating the Constitution, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan on Saturday hinted at reviewing the landmark 18th Amendment to the Constitution.

Speaking at a press conference at the party’s temporary headquarters in Bahadurabad, senior deputy convener Amir Khan said that the Sindh government was interfering in the affairs of autonomous and semi-autonomous organisations in Sindh in violation of the Constitution and directives of the apex court.

“The appointment of pro-chancellors in the public-sector universities of Sindh by the provincial government is aimed at controlling the professional universities and to ruin their academic standards like that of schools and colleges in Sindh,” he said. He alleged that after the 18th Amendment the grant of Karachi University and other universities in Sindh had been considerably slashed.

He said that the Supreme Court had ruled that the organisations could not be run on an ad-hoc basis, but the Sindh government was making temporary appointments in the educational boards of the province, particularly Karachi’s intermediate and secondary boards, only to get its “illegal acts” done by the said officials.

The senior MQM-P leader said that his party believed that the present Sindh government was violating the Constitution. “We demand that Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar take suo motu notice and constitute a high-powered joint investigation team to take corrupt elements to task.”

The party also demanded that the Sindh government take back legislation through which it had given the powers of the governor to the chief minister. Mr Khan deplored that houses in Karachi were being razed while Banigala was being regularised.

He said the MQM-P would stage a protest demonstration on Sunday (today) at Nagan Chowrangi in North Karachi against an acute shortage of water as well as demolition of legal houses and businesses.

Sattar presser

Also on Saturday, disgruntled MQM-P leader Dr Farooq Sattar held a press conference with people affected by the ongoing anti-encroachment drive in the city.

“Do you want us to demand rehabilitation of MQM founder Altaf Hussain in politics? People are left with no option except to look at him [Hussain] as their only saviour,” he said.

He criticised the government and said that its 100-day plan had failed because of wrong policies and planning.

“This is a conspiracy to shut trade and industry in Karachi. The governor, chief minister and mayor should tell the nation at whose behest they are shutting down legal businesses of the people in Karachi,” he said.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2018