MQM-P leader Amir Khan speaks at the Iftar dinner in Hyderabad on Saturday.—Dawn
MQM-P leader Amir Khan speaks at the Iftar dinner in Hyderabad on Saturday.—Dawn

HYDERABAD: Muttahida Qau­mi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) senior deputy convener Amir Khan has said that his party will not budge from its stance over creation of a new province to be carved out from within Sindh.

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statement on the issue during his Friday visit to Karachi has hurt sentiments of MQM-P and its followers, he said.

“We will table such a bill in the National Assembly no matter PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf) supports it or not,” he said while speaking at an Iftar dinner here on Saturday.

He said that MQM-P did not join the PTI government for personal gains. Rather, it supported the government to protect the interests of the Urdu-speaking community in terms of employment, local government system etc. He hoped that this journey would go a long way.

Amir Khan hints at quitting coalition

Amir Khan categorically stated that MQM-P could not withdraw its demand for a new province within Sindh but also clarified that “MQM-P is not seeking Sindh’s division”.

He hinted at discontinuing his alliance with the ruling PTI if the two agreements signed between them at the time of joining the coalition were not honoured.

Mr Khan said his party wanted continuity of the democratic process. He said it had joined the coalition to help eradicate corruption in the country. He said MQM-P would discharge its responsibility but if commitments made with it were not honoured and rights were not given, then it would not be longing to keep the alliance going, he added.

He wondered that while PM Imran Khan was worried about sentiments of Sindh’s rural population, from where his party did not get votes, but he was not concerned about sentiments of the urban population where PTI’s candidates “somehow” won seats. He said that PM would have to come again to seek votes in cities. “Tab ap ko lag pata jaey ga (then you will understand)”, he remarked while alluding to PM’s statement on a new province.

He said that MQM had survived back-to-back operations. Conspiracies were hatched to deprive it of its identity.

He argued that if according to PM new local government system would address issues in Sindh and there would be no need for administrative unit, then the same LG system should be introduced in Punjab so that there should be no need for another province there either.

He said that incidents like Aug 22, 2016 and Feb 5, 2017 damaged the party. Alluding to Dr Farooq Sattar, he said he damaged himself and the MQM only to get powers. “Today, he himself has lost everything,” he added.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2019

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