Pak MQM asks Sindh Governor to step down

MQM today asked the long serving Governor of Pakistan's Sindh province to step down from office over his "failure" in preventing the "victimisation" of the Urdu-speaking populace here.
"We have asked Dr Eshrat to resign as he has failed to do anything to stop the victimization of our people in Karachi. He has remained a silent spectator to the atrocities against our people. He remained silent when our entire neighborhood were raided and our workers tortured," Farooq Sattar, senior Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader said at a press conference.
The move is increasingly seen as the first serious step by the party to push for a separate province for the Urdu speaking population.

"If he is sincere to the party, he must resign as Governor and join MQM as a member again," Sattar said.
Ishratul Ibad has been the longest serving Governor in Pakistan's political history, having remained in the seat for the last 13 years.
Political analyst Mazhar Abbas termed the demand as the party's first move to distancing themselves from the federal government.

Till their Governor was in power they could not take on the Centre but when he resigns it will be interesting to see what happens, he said.
The MQM represents the Urdu speaking population that migrated from India and has been protesting against the Centre's indiscriminate powers to the paramilitary rangers to carry out a clean up operation in Karachi which culminated in a raid on the party headquarters in March.

Party chief Altaf Hussain who lives in exile in London and his party have come under fire ever since he made critical comments about the military last month after a senior police official alleged that some MQM people were working for Indian intelligence agency, RAW.