Tessori’s efforts for MQM unification not bearing fruit for now

Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori has reportedly been making efforts to unite all the factions of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) for a joint political struggle, but his recent meetings have not resulted in any major breakthrough.

The governor has held separate meetings with Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) leaders and Dr Farooq Sattar, who heads a faction of the MQM named MQM-Restoration Committee (MQM-RC). Sources privy to the development informed The News that PSP leaders Syed Mustafa Kamal and Anis Kaimkhani, and the MQM-RC leader discussed the political situation in the city with the governor who tried to convince them to join hands with the leaders of the MQM-Pakistan (MQM-P).

In the meetings, both the PSP and MQM-RC laid down their conditions for joining or allying themselves with the MQM-P, but they are currently not unacceptable to the MQM-P leadership. However, all the parties have agreed on further talks in the near future as they do not want other parties to fill the political gap in the city created after the schism within the MQM.

MQM-P sources told The News that the party convener, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, has offered Sattar to rejoin the party without laying down any conditions. Siddiqui has, however, assured Sattar that if he chooses to rejoin the MQM-P, the party would convene a meeting to give a suitable role to him through a democratic manner.

Meanwhile, Sattar is reportedly not willing to join the MQM-P without his demand being met as he wants to be restored as the party chief. This condition by Sattar is not acceptable to many secondary leaders of the party, due to which the MQM-P top leadership is reluctant to bring him into the party’s fold.

About the PSP, MQM-P sources said Kamal had spoken too much against many MQM-P leaders in the past and they would not accept him as a leader in the party, but Kaimkhani was somehow acceptable to the party.

MQM-P sources, however, confirmed that the party had offered the MQM factions to join the party, stating that the doors of the MQM-P were open for everyone, but those wanting to join it must not dictate their terms for becoming a part of it.

PSP sources told The News that the governor held a detailed meeting with Kamal and Kaimkhani and discussed the overall situation in the country, problems being faced by the residents of Karachi, and steps being taken to develop the provincial capital.

According to sources, the PSP wants to retain its separate identity. Due to this, it is willing to form a political alliance with the MQM-P instead of joining it. However, the governor and PSP leaders agreed that a close coordination should be maintained between the MQM-P and PSP in order to help resolve the problems being faced by the people of Karachi.

After his meeting with the governor, Dr Sattar issued a brief statement, which reads that he had met Tessori at the Governor House and discussed matters of mutual interest. The two sides agreed to work together for filling the political vacuum in the city, the statement read.

Geo News also reported on Monday that the Governor House had become a centre of efforts to reunite various factions of the MQM as Tessori had been meeting leaders of the MQM-P, PSP and MQM-RC. According to sources, Siddiqui, Sattar and Kamal have met the governor several times in a few days.