ISLAMABAD/GILGIT: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement announced on Wednesday parting ways with the PPP-led coalition governments in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, three days after it quit the Sindh government.

The decision to quit the AJK government was announced by MQM’s parliamentary leader in the National Assembly Dr Farooq Sattar at a news conference in Islamabad whereas an MQM minister in the GB government told Dawn that they had received a similar directive from the party’s central leadership.

Mr Sattar said that MQM ministers in AJK would soon submit their resignation to Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed.

He said the decision was ‘final’, adding that they had ‘tolerated’ a lot and “to remain a PPP ally is no more possible”.

He said the situation reached a “point of no return” after PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s outburst against MQM chief Altaf Hussain.

Besides, he added, the `treatment’ meted out by the PPP to the MQM was ‘shameful’.

The MQM is also angry over PPP leader Khursheed Ahmed Shah’s statement that he considered Mohajir “a swear word”. The MQM said it now believed that strengthening the hands of the PPP was tantamount to weakening the country.

The MQM is reportedly also considering ways of getting Leader of Opposition Khurshid Shah replaced.

Meanwhile, Raja Azam, the lone MQM minister in the Gilgit-Baltistan cabinet, said he had been asked by the party’s central leadership to submit his resignation to the chief minister.

He said although the party had good working relationship with the PPP in GB, they were bound to follow the party’s decision.

He said he would submit his resignation on Thursday.

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2014