HYDERABAD: Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s (MQM-P) deputy convener Wasim Akhtar has urged Prime Minister Imran Khan to exercise his constitutional authority to rid people of Sindh of bad governance before it is too late.

He told journalists at the inauguration ceremony of a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Khidmat-i-Khalq Foundation (KKF) hospital here on Wednesday that Sindh government itself was involved in June 6 arson attack during a violent protest by nationalist parties against Bahria Town in Karachi.

He said that MQM-P also supported demand for release of full share of water for Sindh but it was equally important to ask whether Sindh government was judiciously utilising the available water resources or not. There had been many protests by farmers who complained that influential people were getting water by hook or crook, he said.

He said that levelling allegations on federal government alone would not work. Jagirdars and waderas were able to get water because they wield influence in their areas while poor farmers were suffering.

The former Karachi mayor said that 10 months had passed since local governments (LGs) completed their term but still no improvement could be seen in civic facilities. The situation had rather worsened, he said.

He said that today media dared not point out garbage dumps and civic issues which it used to do when LGs were functioning. The drains were overflowing as they did in past and garbage remained unattended but media and anchorpersons found little to talk against Sindh government, he said.

About June 6 violence in BTK, he said that it was an attack on the housing society’s residents by the forces who believed in division of Pakistan as was evident from the slogans of ‘na khappay, na khappay’ they were raising against the country during the protest.

He held Sindh government directly responsible for the protest and its aftermath and accused Jeay Sindh of being its “terrorist wing”. Supporters of Sindhudesh were provided safe passage to participate in the violent protest, he said.

He asked the prime minister whether he and other institutions were not listening to the anti-state slogans being raised by the nationalist parties and wondered when the PM would exercise his “constitutional authority” to rid people of this bad governance.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2021