KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) on Tuesday vowed to continue their “struggle” against the Pakistan Peoples Party from a common platform to become its alternative in Sindh in the next general election.

The leaders of the three parties met here and discussed the overall political situation in the province.

Later, speaking at a joint press conference, they demanded suspension of the PPP-dominated local government system across the province till the holding of the upcoming general elections.

Interestingly, the MQM-P and GDA, which had agreed on the name of retired Justice Maqbool Baqar as the caretaker chief minister, now expressed their no-confidence in the former jurist, saying that Chief Minister House had become the secretariat of the PPP.

Muttahida, GDA and JUI-F say caretaker set-up ‘acting like B-team of PPP’

GDA General Secretary Dr Safdar Abbasi, MQM-P’s Dr Farooq Sattar and Allama Rashid Mahmood Soomro of the JUI-F also came down heavily on the PPP and said that they would not let the party that had ruled the province for the past 15 years to again play “Sindh card”.

They announced that they would gather on a common platform to rid the province of the PPP, which they said had looted Sindh during their 15-year rule.

They said that the three parties had also decided to talk to the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and nationalist parties of the province for wider unity.

They also demanded removal of the provincial election commissioner and transfer of the senior civil servants appointed by the provincial caretaker government, which according to them, was acting like a ‘B’ team of the PPP.

Dr Abbasi said the upcoming general elections would be fair and peaceful only when the mayors and local council were suspended until the elections.

“People had hoped that the caretaker government would remain neutral while fulfilling the constitutional requirements, but unfortunately, the interim government, including the caretaker chief minister, seems to be working as the PPP’s B team,” he said.

He said that the same officers were sitting in the CM House and they were working on the agenda of the PPP. “If the situation does not change, we will be forced to take the names of these officers,” he warned.

Dr Abbasi said they believed that the next elections would become controversial if their grievances were not addressed.

He said that the proof of the partiality of the caretaker chief minister was that the important portfolio of the finance department was taken away from a competent former bureaucrat Younus Dagha.

He asked the chief minister as to who had given the order to change the portfolio of Mr Dagha.

“Blue-eyed officers of former chief minister Murad Ali Shah have merely been transferred from one place to another which is just cover,” he said, demanding their immediate removal and posting of impartial officers on inter-provincial basis.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Sattar said that the former cabinet ministers belonging to the PPP and Mayor Murtaza Wahab had been frequently visiting the CM House. “It is no more the CM House, it has now become a PPP secretariat,” he said.

Allama Rashid Soomro said there was an impression that there was no alternative of the PPP in the province, which was absolutely wrong.

He said that the JUI had analysed the election results of the different National and Sindh Assembly constituencies and come to the conclusion that despite the rigged election results of 2018, the opposition had more votes than the PPP which had advantage due to division in opposition parties.

The GDA, MQM-P and JUI-F also announced that they would gather on a common platform to be an alternative to the PPP in the province.

The leaders also announced that the three parties would support the JUI-F-led peace March in October.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2023