Farooq Sattar convenes meeting as rift within MQM-P continues

KARACHI: Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM-P) chief Farooq Sattar has convened a meeting of the party coordination committee at the head office in Bahadurabad on Friday evening, ARY News reported.

Addressing media outside his residence in PIB Colony, Farooq Sattar said the decision was made by consulting his close aides. He said that a system where one is given responsibilities but cannot take decisions cannot work anywhere.

He maintained that he was the elected head of the party and had the authority to issue tickets to candidates for elections. He said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will question him about the party’s candidates for the upcoming Senate elections.

He further said that there should be even greater authority with higher responsibilities. He said that the meeting on Friday evening will ensure that similar internal rifts are solved within the party and do not manage to get public.

The MQM-P chief warned that government employees do have the right to vote, and he will clarify in the party meeting that such officials cannot be a part of the coordination committee.

Earlier a spokesman for Farooq Sattar had confirmed that a meeting of the coordination committee has been convened at 7 P.M. at the head office in Bahadurabad, where all members of the coordination committee will participate.

Sattar has no authority to issue tickets

The coordination committee of the MQM-P has written a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan stating that party leader Farooq Sattar does not have the authority to issue tickets to candidates for the upcoming Senate elections.

The letter states that as per the party’s consitution the perogative to issue tickets lies with the coordination committee and not the convenor. Therefore, the candidates nominated by the coordination committee should be considered.

The coordination committee had earlier revoked the authority of Farooq Sattar to issue party tickets. It states that the authority as per Section 19(a) of the party’s constitution lies with Khalid Maqbool Siddqui.

This is likely to further escalate the rift within the party as it wrests control from Sattar. However, the code of conduct by the ECP states that only tickets with the signature of the party head will be accepted.

ECP will accept tickets with Sattar’s signature

The ECP responded to the MQM-P coordination committee’s letter and said that only party tickets with the signature of party chief Farooq Sattar will be accepted for the upcoming Senate elections.

The ECP said that the MQM is registered with the name of Farooq Sattar and only the party chief can issues tickets as per election rules and regulations. The ECP further said that Farooq Sattar had issued ticket for the party candidates since over two decades.

This continues the war of words between the two groups of the MQM-P, one in Bahadurabad and another in PIB Colony. The coordination committee has stated that Farooq Sattar issued tickets violating the party’s constitution.

However, Farooq Sattar has said that the coordination committee has no status to hold meeting without the convenor, and he has the final authority to issues ticket.