MQM ends its boycott after high drama

In quite a rare achievement, President Asif Ali Zardari is going to deliver record fifth address to the joint-sitting of the Parliament, the first menace to a historic moment came at the hands of ally party.

After high drama, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), for yet another time, decided not to boycott the joint-session of the parliament. The situation was pulled back from the brink in a manner that has become the hallmark of the first civilian head of the state.

The MQM stated strong protests in the Sindh and National Assemblies, saying that it will boycott the joint session of Parliament in protest against what it called increasing incidents of extortion in Karachi, the metropolis city of the province.

It cited the government’s alleged inaction and non-serious attitude towards its demands to step up against extortion-mafia as the reason for its boycott.

Waseem Akhtar, the MQM MNA warned, “We will not let the president deliver his speech if the government does not take notice of the issue. We have approached every responsible person in the government, have given lists of identified criminals but there is no action”.

However, the MQM has not released any official announcement regarding the reversal of the boycott decision. The previous decision was taken in a joint sitting of the party’s Coordination Committee in Karachi and London.

President Asif Ali Zardari, in the late night on Friday, made a telephonic conversation with MQM chief, Altaf Hussain, giving him assurance that he had taken serious note of the worsening law and order situation of Karachi.

Earlier, the president directed Interior Minister Rehman Malik to leave for Karachi to overcome the deteriorating situation of the financial hub of the country. Altaf Hussain was assured that their reservations will be addressed at the earliest.

In return, the MQM chief assured President Zardari that his party would support him if he took action against extortionists and culprits.

The conversation bore fruit, and, in a late night development, the MQM said that its legislators would attend the joint-sitting.

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Posted by Faisal Farooq on Mar 17 2012. Filed under Latest News, National, Pakistan, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.