ISLAMABAD, June 2: The parliamentary leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in the National Assembly, Dr Farooq Sattar, has expressed the hope that the centre will not decide to make any administrative change in Sindh without his party's consent.
Speaking at a news conference with other party MNAs here on Wednesday, he said the Muttahida had been involved in a consultative process regarding possible administrative changes in Sindh and that it had a complete picture of all the developments.
Dr Sattar said that Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad had held talks with President Gen Pervez Musharraf after the recent incidents of terrorism . He said his party's "political arrangement" with other coalition partners was still intact.
Responding to a question, he said the MQM would support any change in the province made through a democratic process. When asked about the possibility of imposition of governor's rule in Sindh or deployment of troops in Karachi, Dr Sattar said it was only a wish of some people.
He said those who wanted to destabilize the Sindh set-up should remember that "destabilisation process starts in Sindh, but it ends in Islamabad." He said the MQM was fully aware of its responsibilities and duties and the governor was making efforts to maintain law and order in Karachi. The people of Karachi, he said, had not reacted to the recent incidents of terrorism on the directive of party chief Altaf Hussain.
Mr Sattar said that some "hidden hands" were behind the terrorism attacks in different parts of Karachi, and there was a close link between the "hidden forces" and the religious extremists.
Dr Sattar said the role of Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) appeared to be "suspect" in the whole affair. He said those behind the attacks wanted to show to the world that democracy could not function in the province and that governor's rule, emergency or deployment of army was the only solution to Sindh's problems.
Commenting on JI's demand that the MQM should quit the government because of the recent incidents, he said, that if this logic was accepted then the JI should also demand resignation of the heads of all security and intelligence agencies for failing to prevent three attacks on the life of Gen Pervez Musharraf.