ISLAMABAD: In a last ditch effort to woo an unruly ally – Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) – a government delegation Wednesday conveyed the message of Prime Minister Imran Khan, seeking its support in the upcoming vote of no-confidence motion against him.

The government delegation comprising Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser, defence minister Pervez Khattak and planning and development minister Asad Umar, according to sources, said the MQM-P leadership was told “it is Imran Khan vs the corrupt trio [Zardari, Shehbaz Sharif, and Maulana Fazlur Rehman] who have damaged the country to the point of no return.”

They said that the MQM-P leadership was assured “all their genuine demands with regard to Karachi” would be addressed as the prime minister himself is concerned about the issues confronting the port city.

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The MQM-P leadership was of the view that nothing has been done for Karachi despite commitments by the prime minister.

They also said that deputy convener MQM-P Wasim Akhtar made many complaints against the prime minister, saying the party opted to be part of PTI-led coalition government with a hope to serve the people of the city, but nothing has been done despite passage of three and a half years.

The sources said that the government team reiterated that the city is close to the heart of the prime minister, and “it is a guarantee that all-out efforts” would be made to transform the city which has been turned into a “filth” due to poor governance of Zardari-led PPP into a modern city of Jinnah.

The MQM delegation includes Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Wasim Akhtar and Aminul Haq, Khawaja Izhar ul Hassan and Javed Hanif.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022