MQM-P readies for mega protests against PPP

From Zeeshan Mirza

KARACHI: The port city’s political party Muttahida Qaumi Movement–Pakistan (MQM-P) has Tuesday announced to lead a campaign against Sindh’s ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) over unequal and discriminatory distribution of resources.
Starting May 27, MQM-P leadership has said it will lead a protest rally, against the Sindh government, starting at Expo Center Karachi towards Karachi Press Club with an agenda that Karachiites do not receive their rights and resources because Sindh government discriminates against them.
MQM-P Rabta Committee has chalked out a plan in their meeting today wherein they decided to mobilize there support base into leading rallies across Karachi starting May 27. The purpose of this campaign is to protest against the nepotism and discrimination against Urdu speaking Karachiites at the hands of PPP-led Sindh government, MQM-P said.
Pertinent to note that in the Karachi’s latest bypoll in the National Assembly (NA) constituency NA-249, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) officials completed earlier last week the recounting of votes and announced PPP’s Qadir Mandokhail as victor. During the third day of the recounting process, the ECP officials concluded the recounting of votes of all 276 polling stations and as result, the electoral body has decided to maintain their erstwhile announcement.
Earlier, Muttahida Qaumi Movement–Pakistan (MQM-P) on Monday welcomed the Council of Common Interest (CCI) decision of holding a fresh census in the country. The CCI on Monday approved the results of the 2017 national population census with majority votes and decided to hold the new census by end of 2021.
MQM-P Senator, Faisal Subzwari, while talking to media on Monday said that holding of new population census was a good decision taken by the federal government. He termed the approval of the new census as a win of MQM-P’s principal stance.
“MQM-P approached Supreme Court on 2017 population census and had put 2017 census results as its first condition in a nine-point MoU signed with PTI govt during the formation of govt back in 2018,” he said while describing efforts of MQM-P on the new census. He said that the results of the new population census should be published before the 2023 general polls.
The Council of Common Interest (CCI) on Monday approved the results of 2017 national population census with majority votes and decided to hold the new census by end of 2021. The meeting of the CCI was held here presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan and was attended by the chief ministers of all the provinces.
Later giving details of the meeting in a press conference here, Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said the CM of Punjab, KPK and Balochistan voted in favor of the approval.