Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad on Tuesday accepted the resignations submitted by 11 provincial ministers belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).
Opposition seats have been allotted to 40 out of 51 MQM members, while the remaining 11, who were holding various portfolios, were waiting for their resignations to be accepted.
After speculations of his resignation, Ebad flew back home from Dubai last week on the directives of MQM chief Altaf Hussain to continue as governor.
OPPOSITION LEADER:
Meanwhile, MQM’s Sardar Ahmed has been appointed as the leader of the opposition in Sindh Assembly. The Sindh Assembly secretary has issued an official notification in this regard.
Earlier on Tuesday, an MQM delegation called on Speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro in his chamber to file the application nominating Sardar Ahmed as opposition leader, after the resignations of MQM ministers, advisers, special advisers, and coordinators were accepted.
The MQM is the second-largest party in the House after the PPP with 51 members. It had announced to quit the federal and Sindh governments, and moved to opposition benches in the Sindh Assembly after citing Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) “negative attitude” and accusing the government of giving freehand to criminals in Karachi.
However, certain sections of the media reported that there was some sort of an “understanding” between the PPP and the MQM over the latter becoming an opposition party in the final days of the current parliament.