PPP, MQM can become coalition partner in Sindh: Saeed Ghani
Islamabad: Sindh Information and Labour Minister, Saeed Ghani, has said that so far no discussion has been held between the Muttahida Quami Movement Pakistan and Pakistan People’s Party to make MQM a coalition partner in the PPP’s Sindh government.
Speaking at a press conference here at People’s Media Cell on Tuesday, the Sindh Information Minister said that up to the present moment the MQM had not asked the PPP to make it a part of the provincial government.
He, however, said the possibility did exist that MQM was a made coalition partner in the People’s Party’s Sindh government after the improvement in the ties between the two parties.
As of now, no discussion had taken place between the MQM and PPP to make the former a part of the Sindh government and offer it slots in the provincial cabinet, said Ghani.
To a question, he said the People’s Party didn’t have the power to appoint the Sindh Governor nor the position of Governor was part of the provincial government.
“Although I’m a staunch opponent of the MQM but I’m of the opinion that the so far issues raised by them (in the talks between the two parties) are all valid problems,” he said.
Ghani said the MQM had raised the issue of a 40 per cent quota in government jobs for the urban population while saying that injustice was being done in this regard due to the issue of bogus domiciles.
He said the MQM had also presented its views regarding the system of municipal governance in the province, as the Sindh government had already constituted a committee having representation of all the Opposition parties to amend the provincial local government law as per the directions of the Supreme Court.
To a question, he said that Sindh had to become the ultimate sufferer due to the situation of confrontation between the PPP and MQM as the lingering political dispute had also caused harm to the MQM’s traditional vote bank in Karachi and in other parts of urban Sindh.
The Sindh Information Minister said that he had always honoured the mandate and vote bank of MQM in the urban parts of the province from where their candidates had always used to win the elections.
He said the militant wing and political wing of MQM were like two separate entities as they were ready to hold talks with the political wing but negotiations could never be held with the militant part of the party.
He recalled that same was of the viewpoint of the late Beazir Bhutto during the All Parties’ Conference in London.
Ghani said that he would readily point out if MQM again in the future found involved in the acts of terrorism.
He predicted that Prime Minister Imran Khan had to face an embarrassing defeat in the parliament if the voting was held on the no-confidence motion in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution as he (Imran Khan) would soon be called the former PM of the country.
He said that PM Imran had to run from pillar to post to save his rule due to the vision and politics of PPP Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. He said that Imran Khan’s rule in the country would end soon even if he continued to get support from his allies.
He said that PPP had been a much popular political entity among the masses when a no-confidence motion had been moved against the then prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 1989 as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf didn’t have the same level of popularity now.
He said the hostile statements being given by certain federal ministers showed that the PTI’s government had been planning to take unconstitutional steps against the peaceful disposal of no-confidence motion as per the Constitution.
He said the plan of the PTI to organise a massive rally outside the Parliament House and to provoke the supporters of the party to attack the houses of the renegade lawmakers clearly showed that it didn’t have the required strength of 172 lawmakers in the National Assembly for continuing its rule.
He said the PTI should not have resorted to such planning had it been sure that it had the required number of the MNAs in the assembly.
