Not being asked about election-related decisions: MQM complains to Shehbaz

A delegation of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday and complained that the MQM was not being taken on board on important national issues.

PM Shehbaz met an MQM delegation to discuss the process for the formation of a caretaker setup in the country, reported The News.

MQM Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui was heading the delegation, while Federal Minister for Information Technology Aminul Haq, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, Dr Farooq Sattar, and Mustafa Kamal were other members of MQM in the delegation. Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique and Minister for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayaz Sadiq were also present in the meeting.

In the meeting with the PM, the MQM delegation complained that the two major coalition partners planned the dissolution of assemblies. MQM was an important ally in the ruling coalition, but it was not being consulted on crucial issues.

According to sources, MQM said that the next general elections should be held on the basis of the new census and not the 2017 census results. The delegation also demanded notification of the census results.

The MQM leaders proposed the name of a former commissioner Karachi, Shoaib Siddiqui, as the Sindh caretaker chief minister. However, the decision will be taken after consultation between the leader of the House and the leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly.