Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has warned of launching a protest movement if the federal government fails to ensure implementation of the party's March 30, 2022 agreement with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Speaking at a press conference in Karachi, MQM-P leader Farooq Sattar stated that none of the agreement's 18 articles had been implemented.
Details of the Agreement
Sattar explained that the agreement was signed by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and MQM-P Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui when the coalition government was formed in 2022. He emphasized that the agreement did not include any demand by MQM-P to join the Sindh government, seek provincial ministries, or obtain authority over provincial resources. Instead, it focused on stability in Sindh, development of Karachi, and equality for all.
Key Demand: Implementation of Article 140A
The first point of the agreement called for implementation of the Supreme Court's ruling on Article 140A, which mandates devolution of political, administrative, and financial powers to cities, districts, and local government institutions within a month. Sattar noted that despite repeated reminders, the agreement had not been implemented. He said MQM-P's complaint was against the PPP, the Sindh government, and its officials, including President Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who had signed the agreement.
Role of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
Sattar said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, as a witness and guarantor of the agreement, should play his role in ensuring its implementation. He warned that if the agreement was not implemented, MQM-P would launch a protest movement, with the party's central committee deciding when and where it would begin. He added that MQM-P wanted immediate action on four demands: implementation of Article 140A through a notified committee, a larger urban development package for Karachi, progress on the issue of missing persons, and the return of the Sindh governorship to MQM-P.
Potential Shift to Opposition Benches
Sattar stated that if no action was taken on those demands, MQM-P's 22 members of the National Assembly could seek to move to the opposition benches. This threat underscores the party's frustration with the lack of progress on the agreement.
Reaction from Sindh Senior Minister
Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, reacting to Farooq Sattar's press conference, accused MQM-P of still believing in shortcut politics rather than the public mandate. He said that using issues like federal intervention as tools for political pressure is proof of the MQM-P's political blackmail. Memon claimed that MQM-P has lost the trust of the people, is haunted by memories of power, and is searching for shortcuts. He stated that the idea of handing over Sindh's matters to the federation was a reprehensible conspiracy against the federal structure.
