MQM stages walkout over PTI's stance

Muttahida Qaumi Movement staged a walkout on Friday from a joint sitting of parliament over the stance of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on the creation of new provinces in Sindh. Addressing the session, MQM leader Farooq Sattar said the PTI leadership wants decentralisation in all the provinces but Sindh. He said the MQM would finalise its future strategy after hearing from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Leader of Opposition in National Assembly about the creation of new provinces.
"This is the century of decentralization," he said, adding that the government should constitute a parliamentary commission to hold local government elections and create new administrative units across the country. Problems of the masses could not be solved due to a centralised system of governance, he said, adding that new provinces are need of the hour. Sattar said that MQM chief Altaf Hussain is repeatedly demanding creation of new administrative units but no one has paid heed to his advice. "It has now become inevitable for the integrity of the country to create new provinces across the country on a administrative basis," he said.
He warned that if the demand was ignored by the parliamentary parties, then it would become a serious threat to security of the country. "The sense of deprivation in urban areas of Sindh is aggravating and this needs to be addressed," he said. The claims about supremacy of constitution and democracy will stand belied if local government elections are not held. "How can you protect building of the parliament if our voice is not heard?" he questioned. Sattar said that Karachi generates around 70 percent revenue of the country but its residents are being deprived of their basic rights. "We want to strengthen democracy and Pakistan through local government systems," he said.
In his speech, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif failed to respond to demands of the MQM leadership about creation of new provinces and local government elections. Khursheed Shah, however, sarcastically said that Sindh has a history of 8,000 years and it teaches affection and love; "therefore we should avoid such conversation." He said that local government elections should be held to devolve power at local level.