Lawmakers of Pakistani political party quit parliament

Lawmakers of an influential Pakistani political party on Wednesday resigned over what it alleged "victimization" of its activists during the security forces' ongoing operation in the port city of Karachi.

Members of the National Assembly, Senate and the provincial assembly in Sindh province belonging to the Mutahida Qaumi Movement or MQM submitted resignations.

MQM is the party of mainly ethnic Urdu-speaking people, who had migrated to Pakistan after the independence of Pakistan in 1947. The party has a strong support in Karachi and some urban areas of Sindh province.

The government has denied victimization of any political party and insists that the security forces are only targeting terrorists, criminal gangs, kidnappers and extortionists in the operation in Karachi.

The paramilitary forces had launched the operation last year in the wake of growing incidents of target killings, kidnappings for ransom and extortion in Karachi, also the commercial hub of Pakistan.

Resignations have not yet been accepted and their legal aspects are being discussed, parliamentary sources in Islamabad told the media. Legal experts say that the speaker and chairman of the Senate are bound to forward the resignations to the Election Commission for a final decision.

Some sources say a final decision will be taken on the return of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif later on Wednesday, who is now visiting Belarus.

"MQM, the political party to which I belong, is being victimized in the garb of the targeted operation in Karachi for eliminating crimes and terrorism by the government of Sindh," the resignation letter of every MP reads.

Dr Farooq Sattar, the leader of MQM in the National Assembly or Lower House of parliament, led the party's MPs to meet the speaker and submit the resignation.

MQM has 24 members in the 342-member National Assembly and eight senators in the 104-member Upper House. It has 51 members in Sindh assembly.

The resignation letter claimed that nearly 5,000 workers, supporters and office-bearers of MQM have been arrested during the operation.