MQM-P rift intact as two separate party sessions remain inconclusive

KARACHI: The deadlock and difference of opinions within Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) top leadership remained intact over issuance of Senate ticket to Kamran Tessori.

The party leadership held  two separate party meetings in PIB Colony and Bahadurabad areas of the city. MQM-P chief Farooq Sattar called a party meeting at his residence in PIB Colony where a final list of party candidates was compiled for the upcoming Senate elections in March.

Party leaders including MPA Waqar Shah, Kamran Akhtar, Zubair Ahmed reached PIB Colony at Sattar’s residence to convene a meeting. On the other hand, a meeting was chaired by five deputy conveners of MQM-P in Bahadurabad to deliberate on the situation arising out of the internal rifts.

Both meetings appeared inconclusive as Farooq Sattar reportedly insisted on issuance of ticket to Tessori.

Meeting ends on inconclusive note

Earlier on Tuesday, a meeting of senior leaders of MQM-P was held to breach the stalemate and iron out differences within the party over the matter. However, the meeting ended on an inconclusive note as no breakthrough was made over the issuance of Senate tickets.

Following the meeting with Rabita Committee members over party differences, MQM-P convener Farooq Sattar insisted that there were some matters in which the ultimate power of decision should be entrusted to the party head.

“We should learn the mechanism of resolving disputes. Disagreements among brothers should not be made public,” he said while talking to media outside his house at PIB colony on Tuesday night.

The differences surfaced among MQM-P party leaders on giving Kamran Tessori party ticket for Senate elections, the fact that has been denied by Farooq Sattar saying that it was not merely an issue of a Senate seat, it was far beyond that, he added.

However, he said, he was satisfied with the workers’ cooperation and Rabita Committee members’ assurance that “you are our senior and you are our chief”.

“Now that it has been decided that I am the head of the party, respect for the party head should be in heart. I do not want respect just verbally. My opinion should be respected,” he asserted.

“We are all brothers to each other. We are one. We have to establish our unity. After this meeting we will deliberate (on issues). We will hold a meeting in the day if some matters are left to be addressed,” he said.

The MQM-P chief said they did not want to give anybody a chance to feel rejoiced over their differences.

He said they had to improve the party situation further. They had never been in favor of any rift and they had to manage it from onward, he said.

He said people should differentiate between disagreement and division. He said Rabita Committee and its all members were intact.

“However, should I see any behavioral fault in party members, I will adopt strict action against it,” he warned.

Who is Kamran Tessori?

Tessori is a newcomer in the party, who joined the MQM-P last year and quickly rose to prominence. He was previously a member of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F).

Sattar-led MQM-P had also fielded Tessori to contest PS-114 by-election in Karachi against the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Saeed Ghani but lost by a big margin.

Senate Election

Four out of eight MQM-P senators, including Col (r) Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, Dr. Mohammad Farogh Naseem, Maulana Tanveer-ul-Haq Thanvi, and Nasreen Jalil will retire next month when 52 senators of the upper house will complete their tenure.

The party intends to contest for 12 Senate seats from Sindh. In the 168-member provincial assembly, MQM-P have 50 lawmakers, some of which switched their loyalties to Mustafa Kamal led Paksarzameen Party.