KARACHI: The MQM-P has “collected resignations from its lawmakers” before its convener takes up the issue of the ‘flawed’ digital census with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday (today), party sources said.

They said the party made key decisions regarding its strategy at a meeting and would announce their next steps amid unheard grievances over the ongoing digital headcount, mainly in Karachi, calling it a flawed exercise aimed at compromising the rights of urban’ areas.

However, the party’s senior deputy convener Mustafa Kamal presented a different version of events, saying: “Today, members of the National Assembly met the coordination committee members at a scheduled meeting, which has nothing to do with current political situation.”

A brief statement issued by the MQM-P after its coordination committee meeting, chaired by senior convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqi, mentioned serious reservations by party leaders and called it “unfortunate” that the federal government was not serious in addressing their grievances over the census.

“The meeting was told that despite the documented evidence, meetings with senior officials and the authorities concerned, the flaws in the digital census aren’t being addressed. Similarly, the flawed numbers of the count aren’t being fixed.”

The meeting decided to make a final consultation within the party before announcing “the next step”.

MQM-P sources said Dr Siddiqi is scheduled to visit Islamabad today [Wednesday] where he is likely to meet the PM and key members of his cabinet, including Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, to convey the concerns and details of the discussion within the party.

They confirmed to Dawn that the committee also decided in its meeting to collect resignations from all its seven MNAs and 21 MPAs before the party convener’s meeting with the PM to lend strength to the party’s stance.

The move coincides with the federal government’s decision to extend digital census, scheduled to conclude on April 25, for five more days, after the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) field teams observed a negative growth in 12 major urban areas and needed data verification in 11 major cities.

“The areas where the census timeline has been extended include Quetta, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Karachi Central, Karachi South, Karachi West, Karachi East, Malir, Keamari, Korangi, Hyderabad and Islamabad,” the PBS said.

However, the bureau statement’s failed to convince the party to review its stance on the digital headcount.

“Since the beginning of this ruling partnership in April last year, MQM-P relationship with the alliance has never been very ideal or cordial,” a source said.

“Whether it is local government elections in Sindh, implementation of Charter of Rights it had signed with the PPP or the digital census – the MQM-P has always been found on the other side of the fence and complaining. But it has compromised most of the time and the partnership goes on.

“However, this time it looks a little serious because the party would compromise over its political stature if it shows any flexibility in its stance on the Karachi census,” the source believed.

Later, in a statement, Mr Kamal said the meeting discussed loopholes in the exercise being conducted by PBS, the digital count conducted so far and all aspects of the exercise.

The senior deputy convener said the MNAs, who submitted their resignations to the party convener, were of the opinion that they would not go to the assembly until their grievances were addressed.

The meeting appreciated the role of the PM and federal minister for planning and development, who not only heard all their reservations but also issued directives to address them, Mr Kamal said. He said the MQM-P was part of the ruling coalition in the centre and would remain with the government at tough times.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2023