Chances of MQM split decrease as Khan, senior leaders meet Sattar

Naimat Khan

KARACHI: Chances of bifurcation of the Farooq Sattar-led Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan into two groups decreased after first tier leaders – which held a Rabita Committee meeting without Farooq Sattar – arrived into Farooq Sattar’s house in PIB amid hundreds of working waiting for the MQM-P chief to address them here on Tuesday night.

Earlier, Efforts were underway to break the deadlock and resolve issues amicably following a row between senior leaders of Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) over candidates for upcoming Senate elections.

A three-member delegation led by MQM’s senior leader Amir Khan is holding talks with the party head Farooq Sattar at his residence to conciliate him, Faisal Subzwari told The Frontier Post.

The delegations wants Farooq Sattar to cancel today’s party rally and join the meeting of party leaders at Bahadurabad; however, according to sources, Farooq Sattar has refused to bow down.

Three senior members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) were called to support a Rabita Committee delegation that had earlier failed to appease party convener Farooq Sattar.

Sattar, who abruptly left a party meeting on Monday over a disagreement on Senate candidate nominations, also refused to call off a general workers’ meeting to be held later today, sources said.

“Nasreen Jalil, Faisal Subzwari, and Wasim Akhtar are now part of the six-member delegation in talks with Farooq bhai [brother]” announced party leader Aminul Haque.

“MQM-P is a democratic party; we have extended an invitation to Farooq bhai to come [to the party office] and lead the party,” Haque told the media during a Rabita Committee press conference on Tuesday evening.

According to reports, the MQM-P leader also refused to visit the party’s office in Bahadurabad and maintained his stance on giving Senate tickets to party members earlier nominated by him.

Subzwari had, earlier today, announced that a three-member delegation had been sent to Sattar to ‘talk matters out.’

“The Rabita Committee has given the mandate to a three-member delegation which includes Sardar Ahmad, Rauf Siddiqui, and Javed Hanif to discuss matters with Farooq bhai [brother],” he told the media.

“In the past, Rabita Committee only made suggestions and decisions were made in London but now all decisions are made in Pakistan.”

The rumoured division within party ranks had turned out to be fact than fiction as senior party leaders, Sattar and senior deputy convener Amir Khan, called separate meetings today.

Sattar has called a general workers’ meeting today at KMC ground to decide the future course of action of the party, adding that he would speak on certain matters in the session that he never addressed before.

“I will inform about the obstructions I faced in making decisions for the past 15 months,” he had said.

Separately, Sattar had suspended party leaders who were part of the “illegal” meeting wherein it was decided to suspend Kamran Tessori from the party’s central decision-making body and revoke his party membership for six months. He also rescinded any decision made by the suspended leaders until the general workers meeting scheduled today.

Khan’s Rabita Committee meeting today — to be chaired by Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui — will be held at the party’s Bahadurabad office.

Earlier, Sattar in his address to media late night, Sattar said the party members were invited to Bahadurabad using his name and under false pretence.

“The Rabita Committee members, who held a meeting and spoke to the media… this was a violation of the party rules and code of conduct. According to the party’s constitution, if I, as the convener, had ordered against holding this meeting, then it was illegal and unconstitutional.”

Meanwhile, PSP leader Raza Haroon took a jibe at the swiftly changing situation within the MQM-P ranks. “Sattar’s role is that of the twelfth member of a cricket team who can never be appointed the captain,” said Haroon — a former member and senior leader of MQM-P.