ISLAMABAD, May 6: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), in a letter to caretaker Prime Minister retired Justice Mir Hazar Khan Khoso, alleged on Monday that federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Barrister Feroze Jamal Shah Kakakhel was working against the party’s interests and “overstepping his confines” and mandate.

“He has been spewing venom against me and my party,” the MQM’s deputy convener Dr Farooq Sattar said in the letter, without elaborating.

Dr Sattar, who had served as minister for overseas Pakistanis in the previous PPP-led coalition government, said that Mr Kakakhel was “overstepping his confines and wants to recruit people on some 16 categories vacant posts”.

He accused the minister of not taking interest in granting voting rights to overseas Pakistanis despite directives by the Supreme Court to this effect. “Instead of pushing the matter of grant of voting rights to overseas Pakistanis, the caretaker minister for overseas Pakistanis, Barrister Feroze Jamal Shah Kakakhel, has taken more interest in matters of less significance and even those [that] are not within the sphere and scope of his responsibilities and are not in conformity with his constitutional obligations,” Dr Sattar alleged.

He also alleged that the minister was “inclined to undo reforms and improvement” that he had “painstakingly carried out” in the interest of the ministry and its subsidiary Overseas Pakistanis Foundation. “This clearly depicts and portrays his myopic and prejudiced mindset to malign me and my party,” he claimed.

The MQM leader requested the prime minister to “direct the interim minister that instead of passing aspersions and derogatory remarks against me and my party, he should work for the welfare and wellbeing of the overseas Pakistanis and ensure that they are provided the opportunity of casting their votes in the forthcoming elections”.

Asking the prime minister to take steps for allowing the Pakistani expatriates to cast their votes, he said the Supreme Court was “extensively adjudicating” upon the important matter and had directed the Election Commission of Pakistan to make arrangements for the Pakistani diaspora to cast their votes in the polls while staying abroad. The court had also “clarified that no fresh legislation is required” for this purpose, he said.

He aid he had leant that several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Australia, Canada, the UK and the US, had accepted the government’s request to facilitate and allow overseas Pakistanis to cast their votes in the elections.