The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) late Friday night announced that its resignations from Senate, National Assembly and Sindh Assembly were final and the party would not hold further dialogue with the government over the matter.
A statement on the MQM official website said the decision was taken at an emergency joint session of the Rabita Committees in London and Karachi.
The party said it will temporarily abandon parliamentary politics and focus on the “establishment of a province and welfare activities”. The statement goes on to say the party had unanimously decided to tender resignations in protest and the government will have to “accept them at every cost”.
“Every MQM member in Senate, National Assembly and Sindh Assembly should be seen as having resigned.”
The meeting also observed that the government had “not valued Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Fazlur Rehman’s role” as a mediator to reconcile differences between the party and the government. The party also condemned “Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s behaviour” during his recent visit to Karachi, terming it “arrogant and threatening”.
The party expressed dismay over Sharif not visiting its critically injured MNA, Rashid Godil in hospital.
MQM also criticised Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah’s lack of initiative to form a monitoring committee to oversee the ongoing Karachi operation.
MQM lawmakers had simultaneously submitted their resignations in the National Assembly, Senate and the Sindh Assembly on Wednesday August 12, 2015 due to reservations over the Rangers-led operation in Karachi. The MQM had accused the law enforcement agencies of discriminatory action against MQM, forced disappearances and extra judicial killings.
