MQM lawmakers resign from Parliament, Sindh Assembly

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: Lawmakers from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) resigned from the Senate, National Assembly and Sindh Assembly on Wednesday over claims of being victimized in the ongoing operation in Karachi.

The party's lawmakers met National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq in his chamber where they individually submitted their resignations. According to latest reports, all 23 MNAs of the MQM have completed the process of submitting their resignations.

Speaking to Geo News, NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq confirmed that he had received the resignations and said he was forwarding them to the Election Commission of Pakistan.

NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq had earlier said that if the MQM legislators submit their resignations to him he will accept them after verifying each one individually.

“When I asked them, the MQM members told me that they were tendering their resignations without any pressure,” said the NA Speaker.



MQM leader Farooq Sattar said his party was being politically victimized and pushed against the wall.



“MQM is being pushed against the wall and the path is being cleared for another in the local bodies elections,” Sattar said. He also stated that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was being helped in Karachi.

Following the assembly session, lawmakers from the MQM submitted their resignations to National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.

Farooq Sattar spoke with reporters after the resignations were accepted and said MQM had resigned from the NA, Senate and Sindh Assembly. The MQM leader emphasised that the decision to resign was a political one and in protest.

“The Karachi operation is not against criminals and terrorists,” Sattar said.

Read: MQM is being victimized

Earlier, the MQM’s provincial legislators met Sindh Assembly Speaker Aga Siraj Durrani in his chamber where party's provincial leader Khwaja Izharul Hassan submitted resignations of the 51 lawmakers.

The party’s eight senators also submitted their resignations to the Senate Secretariat.

The MQM has decided to step out of the legislative fold in light of reservations over the ongoing Karachi operation. The decision was taken during a meeting of the party’s elected representatives which was chaired by MQM chief Altaf Hussain via telephone from London.

Sources in the MQM told Geo News that the party's lawmakers decided to resign after MQM chief Altaf Hussain expressed disappointment over the party’s failure to effectively raise the issue of the Karachi operation in Parliament.

The sources said that the decision was taken after the party meeting last night where the MQM chief expressed his disappointment.

MQM is of the view that their voice is not being heard on any government forum, therefore, the party is left with no other option but to resign from the national and provincial assemblies and Senate, sources said.