MQM-P calls for handing Karachi to federation

Senior MQM-P leader Farooq Sattar has demanded the creation of an administrative unit to place Karachi under federal control.

Senior MQM-P leader Farooq Sattar has demanded the creation of an administrative unit to place Karachi under federal control.

Addressing a press conference in Karachi, he said MQM-P and the Pakistan Peoples Party had signed an agreement in 2022 for the development and improvement of the city. He said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had accepted the agreement and signed it, but the commitments made under the deal have yet to be fulfilled.

Sattar said MQM-P had repeatedly reminded the provincial government about the agreement but no practical steps had been taken. He described the agreement as the party’s final understanding with the PPP and warned that MQM-P would launch protests if it continued to be ignored.

He said the party was not seeking additional powers or privileges but wanted implementation of the promises made to Karachi’s residents. He urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to intervene and ensure the agreement is honoured.

The MQM-P leader claimed that people across the country were suffering due to corruption, mismanagement and rising hardships. He said citizens were being deprived of their basic rights and essential public services.

Farooq Sattar said many of Karachi’s problems could have been resolved through an effective local government system. He added that MQM-P had consistently opposed the quota system and argued that urban Sindh was not receiving its due share in jobs and opportunities.

He also alleged that jobs allocated under the quota system had been given to individuals possessing fake domicile certificates, depriving deserving candidates of employment opportunities.

Calling on the federal government to play its constitutional role, Sattar claimed that governance was being carried out beyond constitutional and legal limits. He clarified that he was not demanding governor’s rule in Sindh but supported holding a referendum on Karachi’s future administrative status.

He reiterated his demand for the establishment of an administrative unit that would place Karachi under federal administration, arguing that such a move would help address the city’s long-standing governance and infrastructure issues.

Farooq Sattar also warned that MQM-P was preparing for a protest movement and said the time had come for the party to take to the streets. He urged authorities not to stop the people of Karachi later if they chose to protest, saying that any efforts to prevent public mobilisation should be made now rather than afterwards.