KARACHI (MNN); Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Farooq Sattar on Tuesday called on PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to seek resignations from Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Senior Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, and Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, describing them as “naive friends” whose mismanagement contributed to the Gul Plaza tragedy.
Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Sattar said the three leaders had added a heavy “burden” to the PPP, which could harm the party’s credibility. He stressed that the MQM-P was not directly demanding resignations but urging Bilawal to take action after consulting with former President Asif Ali Zardari. Sattar also lamented that despite repeated efforts over the past one-and-a-half years, he had failed to secure a meeting with Bilawal.
Sattar reiterated his party’s demand for an independent judicial commission to investigate the Gul Plaza fire, warning that the incident could become the PPP’s “Waterloo,” affecting the party’s political future. He criticized the Sindh government for delayed emergency response, lack of preparedness, and under-equipped fire brigades, highlighting the need for a high-level inquiry separate from government machinery.
He also questioned the competency of staff at the Sindh Forensic DNA and Serology Laboratory tasked with identifying victims and raised concerns over the Karachi Strategic Development Plan, noting that a provincial disaster management structure had not yet been implemented.
While Sattar praised Punjab’s emergency response to a recent Lahore hotel fire, he accused the Sindh government of failing Karachi residents. MQM-P leader Haider Abbas Rizvi added that the party still held “hopes” from the federal government and would engage separately on federal accountability.
The press conference highlighted rising tensions between MQM-P and PPP in the aftermath of the Gul Plaza fire, with MQM-P pushing for accountability, improved disaster management, and administrative reforms in Sindh’s largest city.
