From Zeeshan Mirza
KARACHI: Federal Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Friday reached out to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leadership to reassure the party that federal funding for development projects in Karachi and Hyderabad would be released soon, media reported.
The assurance came during a virtual meeting between the federal minister and MQM-P leaders, held after the party signalled its dissatisfaction with the coalition government over delays in executing uplift projects in the two major cities of Sindh and hinted at reconsidering its position within the alliance.
The federal minister took part in the virtual session of talks from abroad. Officials of the relevant government departments also took part in the talks via the video link.
It is learnt that talks were attended by MQM-P leaders Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Syed Mustafa Kamal, Aminul Haq, Javed Hanif, and Khawaja Izharul Hassan.
The session took into consideration affairs concerning the release of development funds by the federal government for uplift works in Karachi and Hyderabad. The meeting considered the MQM-P’s reservations in this regard.
A day earlier, MQM-P MNA Aminul Haq had complained that the federal government hadn’t been fulfilling his party’s demands regarding uplift works in the two main cities of Sindh.
He had hinted that his party in order to register its protest on this issue could consider the option of sitting on the opposition benches in the parliament.
Earlier, The Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) has called an important Rabita Committee meeting to deliberate on sitting on the opposition benches in the National Assembly.
Speaking to the media in parliament, MQM-P leader Aminul Haque confirmed that the party had convened the huddle to discuss the matter. “We have called a central committee meeting to decide whether to sit as independents or on the opposition benches,” he said.
Haque, the former federal minister, also highlighted that MQM-P had supported Shehbaz Sharif as prime minister with the hope that he would fulfil his commitments.
However, he lamented that the promises made to MQM-P, including the Sindh and Hyderabad development packages, remained unfulfilled.
“The Shehbaz Sharif government assured us of development projects for Karachi and Hyderabad, but not a single commitment has been honoured over the past 18 months,” Haque added, citing ongoing reservations over the federal government’s approach towards the MQM-P.
He further said that the party would discuss its separation from the ruling coalition and the possibility of moving to the opposition benches, as there has been no visible progress on development projects.
