Resignations are final, no more talks, says MQM

Islamabad - Pakistan's Muttahida Qaumi Movement says Nawaz Sharif's behaviour during his Karachi visit was 'arrogant and threatening'.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) announced in the wee hours of Saturday that it was breaking off talks with the government on the issue of resignations of its lawmakers from all three legislative floors and declared that resignations were final.
Apparently reacting angrily to the snub it received from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who did not respond to party's request for a meeting during his Karachi visit on Thursday, the party in a statement released on its website said the decision was taken at an emergency joint session of MQM's coordination committees in London and Karachi.
The party also condemned Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's behaviour during his recent visit to Karachi, terming it arrogant and threatening. It expressed dismay that the premier could not find time to visit party's critically wounded MNA Rashid Godil in hospital.
The statement said the party will temporarily abandon parliamentary politics and focus on the "establishment of a (Karachi) province and welfare activities".
The MQM further said that it 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," it added.
The meeting also observed that the government had not valued Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman's role as a mediator to reconcile differences between the party and the government. The Maulana was tasked to persuade the MQM leadership to withdraw the resignations. He visited party's headquarters Nine-Zero and later described the visit a success.
While leaving the door open for Maulana Fazl to hold talks with the MQM at any point, the party said that they will no longer discuss a return to assemblies with him.
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 submitted their resignations on August 12 due to reservations over the Rangers-led operation in Karachi accusing it of discriminatory action against the MQM, forced disappearances and extra-judicial killings.
news@khaleejtimes.com

• Pakistan