Pakistan Views

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has demanded of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to grant provincial autonomy to four federating units of the country.The demand came from MQM’s self-exiled leader Altaf Hussain while addressing a general workers session at party headquarters, Nine-Zero, on Friday night.Altaf congratulating the newly sworn-in MQM provincial ministries clarified that his party had joined hands with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in Sindh for establishing peace and abolishing rural-urban divisions in the province and not for getting ministries.Linking prosperity and peace of the country with a peaceful Sindh province the MQM leader said the new coalition in Sindh would jointly fight for long-denied rights of the province like National Finance Commission Award (NFC) etc.He said the reconciliation process was primarily aimed at bringing the two major political parties, PPP and MQM, closer for strengthening and promoting democracy and peace and tranquillity in the province.Demanding due share for all four provinces in their resources, Altaf appealed to the prime minister to announce provincial autonomy for them which would create the sense of oneness among peripheries towards the federation.He referred to the developed countries like United States and Britain where each state had its own flags and rules and regulations but people were living with proud under a strong federation.Altaf urged the ministers to behave humbly, serve the people without any discrimination and keep away from corruption as the party had a well-known reputation to make its deficient and unscrupulous officials accountable.”Use your God-gifted abilities to serve the people without any discrimination or haughtiness,” he advised them. He asked the MQM ministers that they were not the ministers of Karachi but they had to serve the entire province.The MQM leader also asked them to visit graves of the slain PPP leaders including Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto, Shahnawaz Bhutto and others to offer “Fateha” for them in Larkana as soon as possible. In 1988, around 20 years back the MQM had three ministers and two advisors in the Sindh cabinet led by the then Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah. The number of MQM MPAs in Sindh assembly had stood at 23 with a Sindh governor not from the Movement.In 2008, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement has 13 ministers, one advisor and one special assistant in the Sindh cabinet this time again led by Syed Qaim Ali Shah. With Sindh Governor belonging to the MQM the number of MQM MPAs in Sindh Assembly stands at 51.