DNA

Karachi: Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) said it pledges support towards any federal government or prime minister that ensures pushing for the party’s proposed constitutional amendments.

The party’s Senior Deputy Convener, Syed Mustafa Kamal, said the MQM-P has adopted a singular focus of committing their endorsement towards such a government and premier.

Earlier this week, the party organised a conference to facilitate “comprehensive” constitutional amendments to decentralise power. MQM-P leaders insisted that the Constitution, in its present form, could neither protect itself nor common citizens and, therefore, made proposals for amendments to the Constitution.

The politician’s comments came during a meeting organised by the Gulshan Residence Committee in Karachi’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal area, where he informed them about MQM-P proposing three constitutional amendments to ensure the resolution of all issues.

“After the upcoming elections, we will support any government formed in the Centre based on a single-point agenda, considering all our past experiences. Whoever comes to the MQM-P to become the PM or seek assistance will need to ensure the constitutional amendments proposed by the party,” Kamal said.

The former Karachi mayor said corruption in Sindh has reached its peak. Citing a report filed in the Sindh High Court, he said that after spending Rs2.3 trillion on education, there are 48,000 schools in the province, out of which 11,000 are ghost schools, existing only on paper, yet funds were allocated for them.

In the 15 years of the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) “misrule”, Rs20 trillion were spent, but there was no improvement, and we are buying water at exorbitant prices after building hydrants, he added.

Kamal said the public should trust the MQM-P of today. “We are reforming ourselves. There’s no other option for the people of Karachi. We can handle this city on our own. Things are in such a state that no other experiment is possible.”

MQM-P Convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said on the occasion “we present three points [constitutional amendments] for the freedom and self-determination of the people of Pakistan. Let us accept these three points, lest we face the emergence of six points again”.

“We are initiating our struggle. Our forefathers built this nation, and we will safeguard it. For our struggle, we will go to every house and every village. We are doing all this only to fulfil our justified demands.”