KARACHI: Citing “non-compliance” by the ruling coalition partner, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Saturday decided to part ways with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)-led governments in centre and Sindh, DawnNews reported.

Speaking to a press conference after attending a meeting of the party’s Rabita (coordination) Committee, which was held simultaneously in Karachi and London, senior MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar announced the decision.

The deputy convener of the Rabita Committee also accused the ruling party of not implementing the local government bill in the province despite of passing it from the assembly.

He said the party had joined the PPP government leaving behind past bitterness and supported it in difficult times. But, he said the PPP left the people of Sindh on the mercy of bureaucracy, depriving them of local government system.

The MQM had boycotted the in-camera session of the Sindh Assembly on Thursday and also stayed away from Friday’s proceedings in protest over a move to withdraw cases against Lyari gangsters.

However, ignoring the protest lodged on the issue by the MQM, the Sindh government on Friday had withdrawn bounty for the arrest of eight suspected gangsters said to be affiliated with the banned People’s Amn Committee.

The names of Umair Katchi, Fahim, Sheraz alias Comrade, Abdul Jabbar alias Jhengo, Faisal Pathan, Rashid Bangali, Mullah Nisar and Rashid son of Ghulam Hussain Lond have been withdrawn from the list of people carrying reward money for their arrest, said a notification issued by the home department.

Sources said the eight were booked in dozens of criminal cases, including murder, attempted murder, attack on police, and some of them had been declared proclaimed offenders by courts.

Speaking during the press conference, Sattar announced that the party’s MPAs will sit on opposition benches from now on in the provincial and National Assembly. He said the decision is final and will not be taken back at any cost.

Accusing the PPP, he said the suspects belonging to Lyari gang war were released overnight.

Regardless of informing President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, steps were not been taken to address reservations shown by the MQM, said Farooq Sattar.

He also accused the PPP of nurturing the gang war terrorists. “After creating the Amn Committee, the People’s Party had given them a license of killing the civilians,” he said.

The MQM leader further said non-serious attitude was shown by the PPP on all issues despite following the policy of reconciliation.