A political showdown is looming large afresh between Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), as the coalition partners both in provincial and federal governments locked horns on Saturday over the changing of administrative status of Hyderabad, a stronghold of MQM.
The difference of opinion surfaced between the two coalition partners on Saturday, when Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani declared that the old status of Hyderabad would be restored. The Prime Minister was addressing PPP Hyderabad Division's convention here at Sindh Chief Minister's House.
He termed the division of Hyderabad as wrong decision and a "highhandedness" committed by the previous government against the local people. He said the district would once again be unified with the consent of the coalition partners. As expected, the statement fell heavily on the Nine-Zero drawing a strong reaction from the MQM, which outrightly rejected the idea as "unacceptable".
Condemnation also came from London, as MQM's self-exiled Chief Altaf Hussain and the visiting Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan reportedly contacted the President and Prime Minister to express their concern over the plan. Gilani has, reportedly, assured the MQM leadership that no decision would be taken without taking the coalition partners into confidence.
Immediately after the PM announcement, the MQM Co-ordination Committee convened an emergency meeting at party headquarter, which was underway till filling of this report. Rejecting the idea of restoring Hyderabad's old status as unacceptable, Faisal Sabzwari, MQM's deputy parliamentary leader in Sindh Assembly, told Aaj TV that the Committee meeting was deciding future line of action of the party.
He said the people of Hyderabad would never accept the idea. Sabzwari also urged PPP to hold the local government polls without any further delay. MNA Haider Abbas Rizvi was also critical of the statement, saying that it was democratic right of his party to protest the announcement. He claimed that some forces were against devolution of power to grass root level.
The row arose as a divided Hyderabad had never been palatable to the PPP leadership that believes, as PPP leader Zahid Bhurgari stated in his address, former Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim had dismembered the two districts, Hyderabad and Larkana, to weaken the party politically.
Earlier, addressing the convention, which was attended by Acting Sindh Governor Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, NA Speaker Dr Fahmida Mirza besides federal and provincial ministers, advisors, MNAs, MPAs and senators, Prime Minister Gilani underlined various achievements made by the PPP government during last two years.
In this regard, he referred to the 18th Constitutional Amendment, NFC Award, Gilgit-Baltistan and a record number of bills passed by the National Assembly. Assuring the Sindh province that its reservations over the anomalies in NFC Award would be fully addressed, Gilani said an NFC Implementation Commission had been formed to ensure that the dividends of democracy could trickle down to the grass root level.
About the price hike, the Prime Minister said the provinces would be asked to form Price Control Committees, like the past, to curb profiteering. Urging the provinces to prepare people-friendly fiscal budgets, the Prime Minister said the government was conducting a poverty survey to register the poor, who would be able to get the support automatically.
He said Chairperson Benazir Bhutto Income Support Programme was also directed to fix a slab whereby poor people coming under the poverty line would be supplied some 200 or 250 units of electricity free of cost. Terming the law and order as a biggest issue, the Prime Minister asked all the federal and provincial ministers, advisors, MNAs and MPAs to accelerate and augment their contacts with the masses and the party.
For women empowerment, Gilani announced appointment of a woman ombudsman soon to protect rights of the women. Referring to the issue of load shedding, Gilani said it was a mere misinformation that WAPDA had cut 300MW supply of electricity to Karachi.
And said he would ask the federal minister for water and power to take the party office-bearers into confidence on this issue, adding that few power plants were ready in Sindh province and would be inaugurated soon. The PM said the energy conservation strategy helped the government save 1000 MW of electricity, which otherwise would have cost $1.5 million taking at least four years to generate the same amount of power.
He said India was facing an energy shortfall of 50,000 MW while Bangladesh and Nepal were also facing the same situation, but the issue was not being discussed there like Pakistan "where we have judicial and media activism". PPP leaders from various districts including Makhdoom Jamil-uz-Zaman, Dr Mohan Lal, Dr Sikandar Mahendro, Zia Abbas Rizvi, Amin Lakho, Dr Rafiq Jamali, Mushtaq Kalhoro, Ahsan Abro, Farheen Mughal addressed the convention.