MQM-P complains to PM about not being consulted on key issues

• PM Media Wing says consultation over caretaker setup held in meeting.
• MQM-P leaders appreciate PM Shehbaz for reaching deal with IMF.
• Party's delegation demands notifying 2023 census results.

ISLAMABAD: A delegation of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) led by party's Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday and expressed concerns over not being taken in the loop on major national affairs, The News reported.

Sources affiliated with the party said that the meeting was a part of the consultative process for the formation of a caretaker setup in the country after the dissolution of assemblies next month.

Federal Minister for Information Technology Aminul Haq, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, Dr Farooq Sattar, and Mustafa Kamal were among the delegation members, while Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique and Minister for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayaz Sadiq were also present on the occasion.

During the meeting, the delegation complained that MQM-P being an important ally in the ruling coalition, was not being consulted on the crucial issue of the assemblies' dissolution, and only two key coalition members were planning the matters.

A statement issued by the PM Media Wing said the two sides held consultations over the caretaker setup and the recently concluded census.

The official statement said the MQM-P delegation also thanked the prime minister for personally monitoring ongoing development projects and urged him to ensure their timely completion.

The MQM-P leaders also appreciated the efforts of the prime minister and his economic team for reaching the stand-by-agreement with the IMF.

Sources said the MQM-P delegation demanded notifying the census results, saying the next general election should be held based on the new census, not the 2017 census results.

The leaders also proposed the name of a former commissioner Karachi Shoaib Siddiqui as the Sindh caretaker chief minister. The decision in this regard would be taken through consultation between the leader of the house and the leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly.