KARACHI, Feb 17: A day after the Muttahida Qaumi Movement announced parting ways with the Pakistan People’s Party, its 11 provincial ministers, an adviser, a special assistant and a coordinator to the chief minister tendered their resignations on Sunday.

However, it appeared that the federal ministers of the MQM were not in a hurry to quit their offices. According to an MQM spokesman, they would submit their resignations on Monday.

It is a widely held view that the MQM, after enjoying power for almost five years, is quitting the federal and provincial governments with a tacit understanding with the Pakistan People’s Party in order to grab the office of the leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly to become eligible for consultation for finalisation of the caretaker government.

An MQM spokesman said the 11 provincial ministers belonging to the party had submitted their resignations to Governor Ishratul Ibad, while the Chief Minister’s Adviser Raza Haroon, Special Assistant Hyder Abbas Rizvi and Coordinator Nadia Gabol had sent their resignations to CM Syed Qaim Ali Shah.

He said MQM’s federal ministers Dr Farooq Sattar and Senator Babar Ghori would send their resignation on Monday.—Azfar-ul-Ashfaque