Upcoming general elections will be a test case for unified MQM-P

KARACHI: After reunification of various Muttahida Qaumi Movement factions into the single Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), the upcoming general elections are going to be the test case for the party and its political survival.

After negotiations that were facilitated by Sindh Governor Muhammad Kamran Khan Tessori in January 2023, the Pak Sarzameen Party led by Mustafa Kamal and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Restoration Committee led by Dr Farooq Sattar announced their merger into the MQM-P led by Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui.

The merger took place in a bid to consolidate the Mohajir vote bank and regain the political turf that the Muttahida had lost to various parties such as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the 2018 general elections.

Political analysts believe that if the party performed well and reclaimed those seats which the party had lost to the PTI, it would become stronger and more stable than ever it was. That may also result in the party launching afresh struggle for power-sharing in Sindh which could somehow create political unrest in the province.

On the other hand, if the party failed to attract voters, it may again break into various factions.

As the party seems to have currently aligned with the wishes of the powers that be, those influential quarters may grant their blessings to the MQM-P in the general elections. However, senior journalist Mazhar Abbas is of the opinion that this could damage the party. “If any favour is given to the MQM-P, the party will get exposed,” Abbas said while talking with The News.

The journalist was of the view that the MQM-P had its vote bank only among the Urdu-speaking population of Karachi but presently that vote bank seemed divided among various political forces besides the MQM-P such as the PTI, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), which won the recent local government elections from many areas inhabited by Urdu-speaking people.

It also does not appear easy for the MQM-P to attract voters of other ethnic groups, especially the youth. Although, the party has been claiming that it is uniting all the ethnic groups living in Karachi under its banner, it will face tough competition in the general elections.

Moreover, reporters who cover the MQM-P also state that there is a split within the MQM-P leaders who openly speak against each other. They claim that some key leaders of the party, including former Karachi mayor Wasim Akhtar, Senior Deputy Convener Aamir Khan and Waseem Aftab, have been sidelined or they deliberately do not attend the party meetings after the merger.

“The leaders who had left the Pak Sarzameen Party and joined the MQM-P before the merger are either silent or have no say in any of the party meetings,” said journalist Faizullah Khan, adding that after the merger, central leaders of former PSP Mustafa Kamal and Anis Kaimkhani seem dominant within the MQM-P because of their experience in forming a strong organisational structure.

The journalist was of the view that the MQM-P had merged into the PSP rather than vice versa because former PSP leaders were dominating the party’s discourse. “Anis Kaimkhani has taken over the party’s organisational structure while Mustafa Kamal due to his fiery speeches has become the face of the party.”

Khan stated that Dr Sattar was just seeking his political survival within MQM-P. He added that the continuous boycott of elections by the MQM-London led by the party founder Altaf Hussain has also been creating difficulties for the MQM-P in regaining its former prestige in the political arena of Karachi.

However, the journalist said, the MQM-London’s boycott would become ineffective with the passage of time. He maintained that despite all challenges, the MQM-P was focused to revive itself and it had already started preparations for the coming general elections.“The present MQM-P is acceptable for the powers that be and it is also part of the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led government in the Centre. This is a plus point for the party that may help it regain the seats it lost in 2018.”