KARACHI: Criticising the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), former federal minister and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Sindh president Ali Zaidi on Tuesday questioned the party’s logic of staying in coalition in the Centre despite the fact that its missing workers were found dead recently and none of the MQM-P’s demands, which were agreed in the ‘Charter of Rights’ the party had signed with the PPP and PML-N in March 2022, were met over the past five months.

He accused the MQM-P leaders of bargaining the party ideology and strength for their ‘vested interests and perks and privileges’.

Addressing a press conference here at party office with other PTI leaders, he expressed surprise over the MQM-P approach to staying in government despite the fact that the party workers and many senior MQM leaders were against the decision.

“They quit our [PTI] government in March on the grounds that the conditions on which they had joined us were not fulfilled,” recalled Mr Zaidi.

PTI’s Ali Zaidi accuses PPP of ‘exploiting’ flood situation

“If we accept this theory, then why this party is still in power? During more than three-year ruling partnership, none of MQM workers went missing or none of the missing workers were found dead. Within a few months of its new alliance, they [MQM-P] are burying their missing workers. The reason is that the MQM leaders are enjoying their lives and they don’t care about workers or this city.”

He also accused the party of lying with its workers and voters only to facilitate a few of its leaders.

“They [MQM-P] had asked this imported government to give them back their party headquarters [Nine Zero],” Mr Zaidi claimed. “But it was burnt a few days ago. And now the reports suggest that their Khursheed Begum Memorial Hall is also set to be demolished. Amid all this, three missing workers were found dead in different parts of Sindh. I don’t know how the MQM-P leaders face their workers. Do they feel any shame or not?”

The PTI leader also accused Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and his cabinet of exploiting the disaster in the province saying that instead of planning relief and rehabilitation of the affected people, the Sindh government was busy looking for new ways of ‘minting’ money through this tragedy.

“He’s [Murad Ali Shah] not a chief minister,” said Mr Zaidi. “He is an accountant of [Asif Ali] Zardari. He only takes care of his cash and wealth. The people are dying in Sindh. Everyone is visiting them to share their pain. But Zardari has made an excuse that he’s not well and can’t visit flood-hit areas. He flies from Karachi to Islamabad, Lahore and UAE quite frequently without feeling any pain. But he can’t visit the people, he’s ruling for last 14 years.”

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2022