KARACHI, June 20: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement, which is a major stake-holder in the ruling coalition at the centre and in Sindh, on Sunday gave a three-month ultimatum to the government to rope in "jihadi terrorists" who, it said, were backed by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, or else it would be free to "decide about the future."
The decision of the MQM coordination committee was announced by its parliamentary leader in the National Assembly, Dr Farooq Sattar at a late-night press conference at Nine Zero.
When asked if the MQM would quit the government if its demands were not met within the stipulated time-frame, Dr Farooq Sattar was evasive and said that options would be deliberated at an appropriate time.
"What I have stated here today is a well thought out decision of the coordination committee," he said. He made it clear that if the MQM's demands were not met, the party would consider it "treachery" and "double standards" of the establishment and the ruling elite.
According to sources, MQM founder Altaf Hussain while addressing the party cadres late on Saturday night, had criticised the role of the security agencies, particularly of the para-military Rangers during election-related violence in Karachi and demanded that Gen Musharraf and others in the establishment should check such elements.
He had again stressed that some elements were contemplating an operation against the party. Dr Farooq Sattar, who was accompanied by parliamentary leaders of the party and their deputies in the Senate, and national and Sindh assemblies, slammed jihadi elements and the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal for the terrorist incidents in the city since May 12 and even earlier.
He said he was surprised that the MMA was not touched. He argued that the MMA could not have acted in the manner as it did without the support of some powerful lobby.
Dr Farooq Sattar also demanded the reversal of the chief election commissioner's decision of annulling by-elections for two national and one provincial assemblies seats and termed it miscarriage of justice and a mockery of democracy and part of the conspiracy against the MQM and the government.
The MQM also demanded that agreement with regard to the ministries allocated to the party should be implemented in letter and spirit, which indicated differences between the MQM and the new chief minister over portfolios, especially of the home department.
Dr Farooq Sattar said that MQM ministers should be allowed to act freely. On persistent questioning with regard to the return of the Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad, Federal Communications Minister Babar Ghori said that he would return in a day or two and there should not be speculations in that regard.