KARACHI, Sept 20: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) on Tuesday refuted claims of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)’s coordination committee that its ministers had spent their personal money for publishing advertisements on Altaf Hussain’s birthday, and said all such ads published in local dailies were issued from the Sindh Information Department (SID).

In a joint statement, MMA MNAs Asadullah Bhutto, MPAs Nasrullah Shajji and Younus Barai said even the State Minister for Religious Affairs used public money for publishing his ad through the SID, which amounted to plundering of national wealth.

They also criticized the federal government and other forces backing the MQM, and said its provincial and federal ministers were spending public money to praise their self-exiled leader.—PPI