Farooq Sattar elected MQM-P chief in intra-party elections

KARACHI: Farooq Sattar has been elected as convener of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) by a heavy margin in its intra-party elections.

The elections were held at KMC Ground in PIB Colony on Sunday. The polling started at around 1:00 pm and continued till 7:00 pm without any break.

Of total 12, 000 votes cast in the elections, Sattar secured around 9, 500.

Abdul Waseem, Khawaja Suhail Mansoor, Kamran Tessori, Qamar Mansoor, Sheikh Salahuddin, Sohail Mashhadi, Ali Raza Abidi and others were elected as members of the Rabita Committee.

Those elected to the Central Executive Committee (CEC) included Tayyab Hussain, Saleem Bandhani, Nazia Ali, Kamran Akhtar, Farhat Khan, Azeem Frooqi.

After winning the elections, visibly confident Farooq Sattar said he would visit Bahadurabad and announced to start a cleanliness drive to cleanse the party of “waderas.”

Launching verbal attacks on the MQM-P Bahadurabad faction, he said there were many chiefs in Bahadurabad, adding that he could not remain a so-called leader.

Sattar said workers have given their verdict and the only elected leader will lead the party.

MQM-P split into two factions – Sattar-led PIB and Amir Khan-led Bahadurabad- over the issue of party tickets for the upcoming Senate elections.

Bahadurabad removed Farooq Sattar as party chief for “violating its constitution and overstepping his authority”.

Afterwards, in a tit for tat move Sattar dissolved the Rabita Committee and announced to hold intra-party elections to elect the new party head.