Rival MQM-P factions unite on Senate election candidates

ISLAMABAD: Leaders of rival Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) factions Farooq Sattar and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui announced to contest the elections as one political group, ARY News reported.

“We do not want schism within our party and our vote bank to be divided. We will try to hold the party integrated,” said MQM-P leader Farooq Sattar while addressing a joint press conference in Islamabad alongside Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui.

He said both the MQM-P factions — Bahadurabad and PIB — had made consensus on Senate elections. “All is well, if ends well. Well begun is half done,” he said.

Farooq Sattar said five names had been decided with consensus.

“We have decided with consensus to nominate two candidates on general seats, Barrister Farogh Naseem and Kamran Khan Tessori. While Dr Abdul Qadir Khanzada will be nominated on the seat of technocrat, Dr Nighat Shakeel on the seats reserved for women and Sanjay Perwani on the seats reserved for minorities,” he said.

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Following a serious rift over Tessori’s name, both the factions of MQM-P have at last decided names for the Senate elections just one day before the polls.

Farooq Sattar also acknowledged the concerns expressed by other political parties and their suggestions to resolve the issues within their party amicably.

Schism was created in the party following disagreement over nomination of candidates for the Senate elections, specially Tessori.

Both the factions had come to the point of stalemate over the nomination. Nine of the fifteen candidates of the two separate factions of the MQM-P, including Karman Tessori, had withdrawn their nomination papers and dropped out of the upcoming Senate elections, after the internal rift, which emerged within the MQM over the nomination of Kamran Tessori, did not seem to be reducing.

Now, Bahadurabad opposes Farooq Sattar as the party head claiming Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui as the convener.

But Farooq Sattar is also optimistic about the issue of Rabita Committee to be resolved in the coming days.

“Now that we have passed through this phase, I am positive that the issue of Rabita Committee would also be resolved likewise between both the factions,” he said.

Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said the consensus on Senate elections will pave the way for resolution of other issues as well.

“I gave this formula to Farooq bhai. Our candidate on General Seat of Senate will be Farough Naseem and Farooq Sattar’s Kamran Tessori,” he said.

“If it was somebody else other than me, the breach within would have been stretched,” he added.