HYDERABAD: Muttahida Qau­mi Movement-Pakistan leader Faisal Subzwari has said that his party will not become part of any “unconstitutional and undemocratic” move to topple Pakistan Peoples Party’s government in Sindh.

Mr Subzwari, who visited the city ahead of the party’s Jan 18 public meeting in Liaquat Colony ground, told journalists at MQM-P’s office here on Wednesday that the government that was delivering to masses had the right to rule. PPP had the prerogative to change its leader of the house but MQM was not thinking of playing any part in toppling the government, he said.

Having said that, he added that the Sindh government was not only incompetent and corrupt, it was biased too, as it had not been able to develop even one model union council over its long tenure. Were it not for the “magic” of Asif Ali Zardari, many PPP leaders would have deserted the party well before election, he said.

“The progress is seen only in fake bank accounts, corruption and commissions,” he said, alluding to probe against PPP leader Asif Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on charges of money laundering.

He accused the Sindh government of discriminating against MQM which reflected in the government’s move to curtail chairmen’s power to allow cutting of road and delegate it to deputy commissioner Hyderabad.

It was done only in this city whereas in other districts, chairmen still exercised this power, he said.

Mr Subzwari said that MQM had signed an agreement with ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government which contained its demand for setting up a public sector university in Hyderabad.

Prime Minister Imran Khan assured MQM leaders who called on him in Islamabad that a public sector federal university would be established in the city.

The PM would visit Hyderabad next week to lay foundation stone for the university, he said.

He urged the Sindh government to ensure upgrade of Government College University as was announced by the chief minister in the wake of a resolution moved by MQM in previous Sindh Assembly.

He said that Kali Mori College had been upgraded to university but classes had not yet been started although faculty was available there. MQM’s assembly members would move another bill in this regard if the government did not take steps to start the university. PPP government would naturally have some reservations over federal government’s step to set up the university in the city, he said.

He said if the federal government did not listen to complaints and the provincial government did not utilise funds for development and the apex court did

not hear petitions on census and local government system, then people would certainly feel that the state was not behaving like a mother.

He said the federal government could remain insensitive and irrelevant to some issues but the state could not simply afford discriminating against its own people.

Neither provincial nor federal government was ready to give the city its due share in development.

He said that Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s resources were insufficient. Even people of Khairpur and Larkana did not expect any good coming from Sindh government though PPP had adopted a biased policy for Hyderabad and Karachi.

He alleged that PPP that had stomached Rs2,000 billion budget after thrusting a powerless local government system, still felt it would secure seats in urban areas. Had there been no rigging, MQM would not have lost even a single seat, he claimed.

He said that he believed elections in rural Sindh were “bought” as neither security nor closed-circuit camera systems were working there on election day.

He urged the apex court to hear his petition on local government system as laid down in Article 140-A and direct the provincial assembly to legislate in line with the constitutional provision.

He said that when a powerful LG system was working, people of Hyderabad had witnessed a surge in development works.

Estranged party workers could be persuaded but they should realise that such artificial division was being exploited to damage the party, he said.

MQM MNA Salahuddin, MPAs Rashid Khilji and Nadeem Siddiqui, zonal organiser Zafar Siddiqui, Rashid Khan and others were also present at the party office.

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2019