MQM Decides To Quit Government

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain early Tuesday morning ratified the decision of his party’s Coordination Committee to quit the Federal Government, saying his party was forced to make this decision keeping in view the existing circumstances, a private TV channel reported.
Altaf Hussain gave a final warning to the Pakistan People’s Party-led government to mend its ways or else MQM would be forced to part ways with the Sindh coalition too and move from government to the opposition benches.
The MQM Chief was addressing his party workers direct from London following the decision of party’s Coordination Committee to tender resignations of its two Federal Ministers to the government late Monday night. “MQM will continue to stand by the government only if it mends its ways, weeds out corruption and resolve people’s issues such as price hike,” Altaf Hussain said, warning amid thunderous slogans of party workers that an attitude of bullying and threats must not be adopted against MQM. He said MQM can no longer continue backing government on anti-public decisions, declaring that it is no use holding such ministries which incessantly fail to serve any good to masses.
He advised President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani to work for the development and prosperity of the people. “Had Pakistan People’s Party acted on my advice given time after time, the PPP and people would not have to face the present circumstances,” he regretted.
“Time has still not run out and now the ball is in PPP’s court,” he said, adding MQM is not interested in continuing to be part of the government rather it wants to work for serving the masses facing severe hardship due to relentless price hike and corruption.
Altaf Hussain reiterated that his party wants that the present government completes its five-year term. We continued to stand with the government so that the democracy did not get derailed, he added.
He also came down hard on Pakistan Muslim League-N Chief Nawaz Sharif for criticizing MQM in the latter’s public meeting in Muzaffarabad, and called Nawaz ‘a by-product of dictatorship’.