Political chaos in Islamabad after Siddiqui’s resignation

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information Technology Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, who belonged to Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM), has decided to step down from the ministry after differences with the federal government.

Siddiqui’s decision created a political chaos in the federal capital. Prime Minister Imran Khan, Governor Sindh Imran Ismail and cabinet ministers have come into action to control the damage and coordinate for devising a strategy despite the MQM’s previous record to work with the old salary over assurances even after separating from the governments and stepping down from the ministries.

It is astonishing that the temperature of the government corridors is soaring after the announcement of resignation. Prime Minister Imran Khan has advised his colleagues to contact MQM leader and Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaisar has initiated his role to contact the allies while Governor Sindh had already telephoned Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and supported his demands and stance. Adviser to the PM on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan and six other federal ministers, including Fawad Chaudhry, Faisal Vawda, Asad Umar and Shafqat Mehmood made statements about the current situation and presented different causes for the resignation. The PTI could make the government with the help of MQM’s seven members of National Assembly in 2018 and still the government is dependent on MQM which has decisive role. Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had offered the MQM ministries in Sindh government if it supports PPP to topple the PTI government in centre while addressing a ceremony to inaugurate a development project in Karachi on December 30, 2019.

Although Sindh government has offered MQM to join but Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui has rejected any connection of his resignation with Bilawal’s offer, while the opposition has confidently claimed to have change from the parliament and the PTI government would be removed until March and MQM’s resignation is the beginning of government’s disposal.

The initiative was taken while the government alliance has adopted wait and see strategy. Some segments of the opposition claimed that the defiant members of PTI may cause themselves to change in the parliament rather the parties in government alliance.

Meanwhile, some government segments tried to be seen relaxed and claiming that the government would get Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui agreed to take back his resignation prior to next session of National Assembly on Monday. This is neither a big deal nor a serious issue for the government.