• MQM-P lawmaker Shoukat Ali alleges threats from fellow member Shariq Jamal
• Speaker suspends Engineer Usman over assembly ruckus
• Police officials summoned; members reconcile before session ends
KARACHI: Tensions within the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) erupted in the Sindh Assembly on Friday when lawmaker Shoukat Ali sought protection from a fellow party member over alleged threats inside the house.
Shoukat Ali, speaking on a point of order, claimed that colleague MPA Shariq Jamal had threatened him, quoting Jamal as saying: “Step outside and we’ll see you.” He requested police registration of the complaint and security assurances, warning he might resign if safeguards were not provided.
Speaker Syed Awais Shah directed Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Zia Lanjar to address the complaint. Lanjar, who also oversees home affairs, urged that such disputes should not be aired in the assembly and stressed protecting members’ safety.
The assembly floor grew more tense when MQM-P member Engineer Mohammad Usman shouted and exchanged heated words with colleagues. The speaker suspended Usman and barred him from entering the house until he submitted a written apology.
Shoukat Ali further alleged that MQM-P MNA Iqbal Mehsud had visited his office with armed men on two occasions to threaten him. He clarified he belonged to Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui’s faction, while the threatening members were from the former Pak Sarzameen Party group.
The speaker called the SSP-South and area SHO to the assembly to record Shoukat Ali’s complaint. However, the members reconciled before the session ended, and the police officials left.
Sharjeel Memon condemns hate speeches
During the proceedings, Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon condemned hateful and linguistically biased speeches delivered at a recent event at Governor House. He warned that such remarks could threaten Karachi’s peace and civic harmony, recalling the city’s history of linguistic tension and prejudice.
Memon criticised the misuse of constitutional platforms to deliver biased messages, stating the incident was “against peace, brotherhood and social harmony,” and expressed concern that the feud between MQM members mirrored the same divisive tendencies.