Uneasy silence over resignations of MQM MPs

ISLAMABAD: No party is pushed for acceptance of resignations tendered by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) lawmakers as any further talk on the issue by all sides has since ceased.
Even the MQM is no more hammering that the resignations of its national and Sindh legislators and senators should be held in order without any delay.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who for some time worked as a go-between to bring the MQM back to the legislatures, has stopped playing this role. He has conveyed his decision to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as well.
“At present, there is a standstill on the question of the MQM resignations,” a cabinet minister told The News. “However, it is our desire and effort that the MQM changes its mind and comes back to the legislatures to represent its voters.”
The MQM’s walkout from the assemblies a month back came as a big surprise to all and sundry. A ray of hope appeared during Falzur Rehman brokered talks. However, disenchanted with the progress the JUI-F chief gave up and dissociated himself from the process saying that the both sides were not serious.
Later, in another round of dialogue between the government team headed by the finance minister and the MQM team led by Dr Farooq Sattar, which proved to be last, they had agreed on most points. But again, the MQM suddenly pulled out, blaming the government side of shifting everything to the grievance redress committee, which was yet to be formed. It came out with its demand that its resignations must be accepted forthwith and it has no plan to go back on its decision.
This happened some two weeks back. However, since then, the MQM has not harped on its demand that its resignations should be held in order. Thus, a sort of stalemate prevails.
All parliamentary parties had strongly opposed acceptance of resignations of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers by the then Speaker, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, who too wanted them to be in the assemblies. Although the JUI-F had consistently stood for the ouster of the PTI from the legislatures because of its battering by Imran Khan during his sit-in, it had finally gone with the majority view.
The stand of all the parliamentary players on the MQM resignations is precisely the same as it was in the case of the PTI. Everyone realizes that the democratic system would receive a serious jolt if a good number of lawmakers quit the assemblies.
During the abortive talks, the MQM had also demanded compensation for heirs of its workers, who, it claimed, have been killed by law enforcement agencies. “We had instantly rejected this demand at the very outset during discussions held on Thursday,” a member of the official said. Dr Farooq Sattar had confirmed that payment of compensation was one of their demands.
The government negotiators were surprised over the quick snapping of the negotiations by the MQM delegation a few hours after a breakthrough had been achieved in which almost all contentious issues, raised by the other side, had been amicably sorted out.
They believed that Altaf Hussain sternly ordered his representatives to break the talks when his live or recorded speeches and interviews have not been allowed to be broadcast on TV channels. In view of his strict directions, the MQM team was in such a hurry to announce the collapse of the talks that it held an emergency news conference very early in the morning.
Farooq Sattar said it was ironical that the right of freedom of expression of Altaf Hussain has been usurped. He said that when the last round of parleys was held, there was no order from the Lahore High Court (LHC), banning the broadcast of the MQM chief’s addresses on TV channels. “We wanted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to exercise his executive powers to stop directions to the TV channels by anybody, halting airing of Altaf Hussain’s addresses.”