Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) lawmakers on Friday boycotted the Sind Assembly (SA) session and demonstrated at the Assembly Secretariat to protest against “gangsters” in Lyari.
Responding to the agitation, SA Speaker Nisar Khuhro said that it was MQM’s democratic right to protest but the outlaws were not confined to Lyari only. Khuhru, who belongs to the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), said the MQM could opt for sitting on the opposition benches if it wished.
On the other hand, lawmakers from the joint opposition suspected that the PPP and MQM, through staging the protest drama, were conniving to manipulate the provincial interim setup that must be brought by the Sind government in consultation with the opposition.
The MQM lawmakers, holding placards reading “stop patronizing the outlawed Aman Committee”, urged the PPP-led Sind government to refrain from its alleged withdrawal of criminal cases against the leaders of Lyari gang war.
MQM Deputy Parliamentary Leader Faisal Sabzwari told reporters that his party would not accept withdrawal of cases against the gang war activists. He said MQM considered the withdrawal of cases against criminals as an open rivalry to the city. He said the MQM would vehemently oppose the withdrawal of cases using its democratic right.
He said the MQM would not talk to the PPP unless the notification for withdrawal of cases was withdrawn. He said the criminals had plagued the entire city with their activities and taken the masses hostage.
Sabzwari said the city was virtually being ruled by lawlessness, with killings, kidnapping for ransom and extortions going unabated. He said the same “terrorists” had killed SHO Fawad and other police officials during the Lyari operation.
He also recalled that the gangsters had killed 13 traders of Shershah Scrap Market in 2010 for their different political affiliation and ethnicity.
Meanwhile, talking to reporters on the sidelines of Sindh Assembly, Khuhro said the withdrawal of cases against the criminals was still unclear to him. He also denied rumours that the PPP leadership wanted to allot opposition benches to the MQM ahead of the polls to form interim setup jointly, saying it was just a speculation that an engineered opposition was being evolved.
He said the MQM was a “serious” political party with its huge vote bank to decide its fate independently and none could force it to terms. He said the criminals were not confined to Lyari alone rather they had gripped the entire city and the province.
In response to a question, Khuhro said that it was not necessary that anyone who had been charged for crime could be convicted in court of law. He said that sometimes cases are registered against the public and political leaders for different reasons.
Earlier, talking to the media, Pakistan Muslim League-Likeminded MPA Abdul Razzaq Rahimon said the MQM’s protest was a move to pave its way for opposition benches in order to have a decisive role in the interim setup.
He claimed that there was nothing so offending during Thursday’s in camera police briefing that could bring the MQM to the street in protest.
Former home minister Manzoor Wasan also said that the MQM was going to choose the opposition benches after the current deadlock with the government. However, Local Government Minister Aga Siraj Durrani said the MQM would soon return to the treasury benches. He said there was some misunderstanding between the PPP and MQM, which would soon be addressed.