Kamal, Sattar excited about unification but MQM-P insists on ‘no preconditions’

Following Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori’s meetings on Thursday with leaders of splinter groups of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, leaders of the Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) and MQM Restoration Committee on Friday expressed their willingness to merge with the MQM-Pakistan on certain conditions.

However, the MQM-P maintains that those who want to rejoin the party are welcome but they should not set preconditions.

PSP calls meeting

The PSP has convened a meeting of its workers on Sunday to seek their opinion about the prospects of the PSP’s merger with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P).

PSP leader Shamshad Ghori told The News that after Thursday’s meeting with the governor, PSP Chairman Syed Mustafa Kamal had started consultations with party leaders to set conditions for joining the MQM-P. He added that in this regard, the party has convened a workers meeting on Sunday.

He clarified that no formal meeting has so far taken place between leaders of the PSP and MQM-P to discuss the merger and both the parties have been communicating in this regard through the governor.

According to Ghori, Tessori has convinced Kamal that he should join hands with the MQM-P for Karachi’s development, and the PSP chairman has been stating that he is ready to join hands not only with the MQM-P but also with other parties such as the Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Jamaat-e-Islami for the development of Karachi.

However, Ghori said it was too early to say that the PSP was going to be abolished because the party was yet to set the terms for the merger. He added that it was unclear whether the PSP-MQM merger would be an alliance in the style of the Pakistan Democratic Alliance or it would be a complete reunification under the banner of the MQM-P. The PSP leader stated that Kamal had no objection to the leadership of MQM-P Convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui.

Sattar’s stance

Meanwhile, Dr Farooq Sattar, who is currently leading the MQM Restoration Committee after his unceremonious departure from the MQM-P a few years ago, told the media that the unification of the MQM splinter groups was necessary for Karachi’s development, stability and progress.

After the merger of all the factions of the MQM, we would be able to resolve the issues being faced by the people of Karachi, he maintained. He said he had been striving hard to unify the MQM factions on a single platform. “I have no objection to Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui’s leadership,” he said, adding that the announcement of reunification would come in coming weeks.

Dr Sattar stated that after the reunification, he would help stabilise the MQM-P. He added that he would want the united MQM to work with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan and educated youth to develop the city. He said that for the last two years he had been lamenting the destruction of Karachi, but with a joint struggle, the issues of Karachi could be resolved.

‘No preconditions’

A spokesperson of the MQM-P told The News that the doors of the MQM-P were open for everyone who wanted to join the party unconditionally. He added that this was not only for PSP leaders or Farooq Sattar but also for all the political workers and leaders associated with other parties such as the JI, Pakistan Peoples Party and PTI. He said those joining the party would be bound to strictly follow the party policy, rules and constitution.

He explained that the party had not initiated talks with any political party for a merger and even in the recent meeting between the MQM-P convener and governor, the party had clarified that it would not compromise on its principled stance that those who wanted to join the party should not set terms and conditions. The MQM-P spokesperson asserted that the party would change neither its name nor rules for anyone.