PM Imran Khan assures MQM-P of funds for fresh census: sources

• Sources say MQM-P briefed PM Imran Khan about fake domicile issue in Karachi and Hyderabad.
• PM Imran Khan says MQM-P is a key ally of PTI and its “just demands” will be fulfilled.
• PM Imran Khan offers MQM-P another ministry, party declines PTI's offer. 

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ISLAMABAD: PM Imran Khan on Friday assured MQM-Pakistan that his government will earmark funds for a fresh census in the upcoming budget, sources told Geo News.

The PM made the assurances when the MQM-P made the demand for a fresh census in a meeting with the premier in Islamabad, said the sources.

“We will fulfill the promise of a fresh census,” PM Imran Khan told the MQM-P, sources said.

Sources privy to the meeting said that the MQM-P briefed the PM about the issue of fake domiciles in Karachi and Hyderabad. The MQM-P said that this was depriving the people of the two cities of their rights, the sources said.

According to the sources, the prime minister assured the MQM-P that the government will take action against fake domicile holders.

“We will not ignore the urban areas of Sindh in the upcoming budget,” said the PM.

Read more: MQM-P demands Senate deputy chairmanship in exchange for vote of confidence

He added that MQM-P was a key ally of the PTI and its “just demands” will be fulfilled.

The PM also told the MQM-P that he had sent Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed to Karachi to review law and order in the metropolis.

PM offers MQM-P another ministry, party declines

On the other hand, sources within the MQM-P claimed that PM Imran Khan hinted that the party may get another ministry. They said that the party declined the offer given to them by the PM.

According to the sources, the party presented a charge sheet against the PPP government to the PM.

They told the PM that the PPP government is responsible for the destruction of the urban areas of Sindh.

MQM-P assures PM of full support in upcoming budget

The delegation also briefed the PM on the development projects they believe are needed in both Karachi and Hyderabad.

Read more: MQM will take a stand against govt regarding 2017 census, says Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui

The meeting also discussed issues faced by the PTI-MQM alliance.

The MQM-P delegation that met the PM included federal minister Amin ul Haq, Senator Faisal Subzwari, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Javed Hanif, Amir Khan, former Karachi mayor Wasm Akhtar and Kunwar Naveed Jameel.

The meeting was also attended by Sindh Governor Imran Ismail.

PTI, MQM-P agree to hold early census in Karachi meeting

Earlier this year, the ruling PTI had agreed with the MQM-P to hold an early census in the country.

The move came after the federal government approved the controversial 2017 census results despite strong reservations from the MQM-P.

The decision was announced after a PTI delegation led by Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar and Governor Sindh Imran Ismail visited the MQM-P headquarters to discuss the political situation, and a joint strategy strategy for the Senate polls.

But the MQM-P delegation, led by Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddique and Aamir Khan, emphasised holding fresh census.

Read more: MQM-P again demands a separate province for urban population of Sindh

Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Haleem Adil Shaikh, Khurram Sherzaman, Bilal Ghaffar and Junaid Ali Shah from PTI and Kunwar Naveed Jamil, Faisal Sabzwari, Waseem Akhtar, Syed Aminul Haque, and Zahid Mansoori from MQM-P also participated in the meeting.

A special committee has been formed to compile recommendations to the federal cabinet.

Addressing the media after the meeting, the government's coalition partners said they have agreed on holding a fresh census earlier than slated.

Siddiqui had maintained that the first point of the agreement between the two parties was reviewing the 2017 census.

The MQM-P leader said the 2017 census was not only disproved by Sindh's urban centres, including Karachi and Hyderabad, but also Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

Read more: MQM, despite absence from PTI luncheon, says 'unity cannot be sacrificed for 2 Senate seats'

He criticised the opposition parties on the matter and added that a certain party has been in politics since the 1970s but has not protested over the rigging in the 1970s and 1980s census.

Meanwhile, Umar said the census conducted under PML-N had raised contentious questions. He added that the PTI government has notified a technical committee to ensure the next census is not only “accurate but also inspires confidence amongst all stakeholders.

“Census is an important issue in a country where the distribution of resources is based on the population,” he said.