MQM withdraws resignations from assemblies
- By Web Desk -
- Oct 09, 2015
The announcement to this effect was made during a joint press conference by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and MQM leader Farooq Sattar.
Dar announced formation of grievances redressal committee to address concerns of the MQM.
Farooq Sattar said that his party had to tender resignation after finding that nobody was ready to listen to it.
He hoped that the grievances redressal committee will take a swift action over justified demands by the MQM.
During the joint presser, both the leaders also paid tribute to JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman for trying to bridge gaps between two sides.
They had also met earlier in Islamabad to discuss the lingering issue of resignations.
Why MQM had quit the assemblies?
The MQM, the fourth largest party in the National Assembly, quit all its seats in the assembly August this year, in the Senate (upper house) and in the Sindh provincial assembly.
The party, which dominates politics in the country’s largest city Karachi, says it has been unfairly targeted in a police and paramilitary crackdown on violence in the city, the Sindh provincial capital.
“The members of parliament from MQM, eight senators, 24 MNAs (members of the National Assembly) and 51 members of provincial Sindh assembly have resigned in protest against the injustice, political victimisation and pushing the party to wall,”said senior party leader Farooq Sattar at the time of resignation.
Following were points laid out by the MQM as reasons to resign from assemblies.
A month ago, the government had also tasked JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to hold talks with the government and convince them to take back their resignations. However after couple of weeks, Maulana informed the government he could not further play role of a mediator as the MQM was adamant with its demands.
The rift between the MQM and the military widened in June, when Mr. Hussain, who lives in exile in London, in an address to his workers accused the paramilitary Rangers of torturing and killing party workers and dumping their mutilated bodies on roadsides.