Overview
- MQM-P, which met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Karachi on Thursday, gained a pledge for talks next week on its proposed 28th amendment to strengthen local governments under Article 140-A.
- The federal leadership tasked Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar to head a coordination committee with Rana Sanaullah, Azam Nazeer Tarar and Ahsan Iqbal to manage ties with MQM-P.
- Government officials assured faster work on a Karachi and Hyderabad development package, with ministers planning site reviews and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal keeping direct contact with MQM-P.
- MQM-P objected to the removal of governor Kamran Tessori, and the prime minister called it a political choice and told new governor Nehal Hashmi to stay in close touch with the party.
- MQM-P’s Farooq Sattar warned of a large sit-in if reforms stall and pointed to court fights over Karachi’s master plan, citing claims that land for an airport and for education and tech zones was diverted to housing.