As a result of a disagreement with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) over Sindh delimitations, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui threatened to leave the coalition that controls the federal government on Sunday.
He made this declaration two weeks before the planned local government (LG) elections in Hyderabad and Karachi.
“The Sindh PPP administration broke all of its pledges. In a news conference with other members of the Rabita (coordination) Committee in Karachi, Khalid Maqbool stated, “We earned nothing by joining the government coalition in the centre.
Mr Siddiqui stated during a press conference that the MQM-P was prepared for the local government elections on January 10 as well. “We heard the news that local government elections were being held on January 15,” he continued.
According to Mr Siddiqui, the coalition government and the MQM-P reached an understanding on several subjects, and everything was done by the law. The talks concerning local government elections are still ongoing.
He stated that before January 15, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) must define new constituencies. According to Mr Siddiqui, the court mandated that the Sindh government and the ECP meet.
Maqbool stated that if the LB elections were conducted fairly and openly, his party would be willing to run in them.
“The constituency boundaries are a contentious topic. Numerous discussions with PPP leaders were held during which we urged them to promptly switch Karachi and Hyderabad’s congressional districts.
Maqbool emphasised the pre-election rigging attempt while urging the Election Commission of Pakistan to conduct new delimitations, claiming that MQM-influenced union councils have 90,000 residents while other UCs were formed based on 20,000 to 25,000 individuals.
His remarks came a day after Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the PPP chairman and foreign minister, expressed confidence that a jiyala, a term politically linked with PPP stalwarts, will win the position of mayor of Karachi in the local body elections taking place next month as a result of the performance of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and the arduous efforts of party members.
