F.P. Report
KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Farooq Sattar on Monday decried attempts to restrict his party in the political scene through “horse-trading” in the recently held Senate elections, saying he would challenge the results in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Addressing media, Sattar said MQM-P will also approach the Sindh High Court and the Supreme Court regarding the matter.
Sources said the party’s six MPAs in the Sindh Assembly defied party orders and voted for the Pakistan Peoples Party in Saturday’s elections. MQM-P, as a result, was able to secure only one seat in the upper house.
Sattar lamented that 15 or possibly more of MQM-P members were “forced to change their loyalty”.
He also claimed that six party members have been served show-cause notices for violating party orders. The members include Naila Muneer, Heer Soho, Shazia Farooq, Sameeta Afzal, Saleem Bandhani and Naheed Begum, sources said.
Decrying that the party is going through difficult times, Sattar also alleged that Mohajirs’ vote is being made to divert to Pakistan Muslim League-Functional and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
Lamenting that the PPP was celebrating its victory in the Senate elections and the “Bahadurabad peers” were happy to have bagged the “charity” seat, Sattar on Sunday questioned how the party would be able to prepare for the upcoming general elections given the circumstances.
The leader announced a major rally after the Election Commission discloses its decision on March 7, and called on the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of the alleged horse-trading during the Senate elections.
PPP has rejected the allegations, asking MQM-P to not place the blame of the infightig among party factions on PPP.
