Can MQM-P avert further split?

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), which has not yet fully recovered after its 24-hour patch-up with Pak-Sarzameen Party (PSP), is passing through another crisis. Though some inside reports suggest the crisis has been averted, one has to wait and see when party's policymaking body, Rabita Committee, meets to undo the changes, made in the constitution by chairman Dr Farooq Sattar.

In a related development, one of MQM’s founding members, Saleem Shahzad, after failing to get any place in any faction of the MQM, including the PSP, is working on a new party and will test his strength on Dec 16, with a public meeting in Orangi Town. This will be another addition to already divided MQM. There are also reports that old Muhajir Rabita Council (MRC), which in the past had supported the MQM and its founder during difficult times like in the 1992 and 1995 operations, would also become active before elections.

The MQM-P, which will test its popularity in Hyderabad with a public meeting on Dec 8, has been facing a different kind of crisis within. The latest crisis it faced when the party leadership came to know the drastic changes made in the party constitution by Dr Sattar with an alleged consent of some others persons. The demand from Rabita Committee, whose meeting could not be held for several weeks, has been withdrawal of these changes and the latest news is that Dr Sattar has agreed to undo it to restore the party’s original constitution, submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) after Aug 23. Another proposal to reduce the strength of Rabita Committee is also under consideration.

What I have gathered after talking to some senior MQM leaders, Dr Sattar has been under immense pressure from certain quarters of the establishment, and in the process he had not taken party's highest policymaking body, Rabita Committee, into confidence over the issue of changing the MQM Constitution. The changes have been made to empower the chairman, who will be able to take decisions without seeking approval of the Rabita Committee. Sources said many party leaders understand the kind of pressure the MQM leader has been facing since Aug 22, and also recognise that he, by far, is the most acceptable leader within the MQM. He has been asked to take the committee into confidence and withdraw the changes made in the party's constitution.

"We know he has not done it on his own, but what surprised some of us is that he does not even take his well-wishers into confidence in some of the commitment he has given to those who have been forcing him for merger with the PSP," a senior MQM leader told the writer on the condition of anonymity.

It was shocking for some of the MQM-P leaders when they came to know about the changes made in the party’s constitution and the same has been submitted even in the ECP. "The disclosure came not from him but from the third party, involved in the negotiations,” MQM leader added.

Dr Sattar often avoided answers to this particular question but, when he held a joint press conference with the PSP leaders, Mustafa Kamal and Anees Qaimkhani, pressure was quite visible from his face, something which he recovered from in his second press conference, which led to the break-up with the PSP, and the two accused each other of betrayal, and for the first time the role of the third party was also exposed, causing embarrassment to them as well.

While Sattar made quite an impact in his press conference and party leaders also asked him to withdraw his resignation, but he has now been asked to convene the meeting of the Rabita Committee to discuss the mysteriously made constitutional amendment, which has practically made the chairman all powerful, who can even declare the party elections void.

Party leaders confirmed that the Rabita Committee meeting has not been held for the past three weeks despite repeated request from the top leaders. Dr Sattar feared that the Rabita Committee would not only scratch all those amendments made without the consent of the Rabita Committee, but also take action against its deputy convener, Kamran Tissori, whom many MQM leaders felt the man behind the move.

This writer has also learnt that while the MQM-P knows that the stature of Dr Sattar and doesn't want to push him in a situation where he would either quit and go abroad or accept the offer from its rival, Pak-Sarzameen Party.

A central PSP leader said, “We know the importance of Farooq Bhai and also his political credentials. If he decides to join us, it would be like getting the most prized wicket of the MQM."

What happened in the last six to eight months between Dr Farooq Sattar, the PSP leaders and the establishment has already raised many questions. Some sources said that at one stage, Sattar had succumbed to the pressure and was ready to wind up the MQM and leave the country.

Sources said the umpire involved in the talks agreed in giving time to him and the PSP leaders to work out some acceptable formula. This most questionable process has also exposed the role of the prominent leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Faisal Wadwa and the MQM leader Kamran Tissori.

Later in the talks, MQM leader Faisal Sabzwari and Khwaja Izharul Hasan also joined and in some meetings even some other senior party leaders were also invited. From the PSP, Mustafa Kamal and Anees Qaimkhani came with full mandate.

MQM-P Rabita Committee's majority were not in favour of giving up the party's name, flag and election symbol. But, Sattar was under so much pressure that he almost faced nervous breakdown.

It was not merely the pressure on the MQM to merge with the PSP or look for political solution minus MQM-London and its founder. Yet, when the MQM voted in favour of PM Shahid Khakan Abbasi after some assurance from the PML-N, some quarters expressed their displeasure.

MQM-P leader Khwaja Izhar and Faisal Sabzwari got shock of their lifetime when during the negotiations, the third party allegedly dropped the bombshell by saying that MQM-P chairman had all powers to make the decision. It was during the meeting that for the first time they came to know about the changes made in the Constitution without their consent.

When they inquired from Dr Sattar, they found he had no convincing reply and thus they remained silent. Kh Izhar and Faisal then proposed that instead of merger they should go for political alliance. Kamal and Anees told the MQM leaders that they were ready to surrender PSP's name but MQM should also agree on third name like Pakistan Qaumi Movement, the name which PSP wanted to adopt at the time of launch of the PSP.

No ambiguity is left now that the joint press conference of the MQM and PSP was well scripted, but both sides later blamed each other from going out of script. It is a dark chapter in Pakistan's political history that how Sindh and particular urban Sindh politics wa being managed. While such attempts in the past could not achieve desired results in 1992 in the case of MQM-H in 1993, the MQM under Azeem Tariq, perhaps, was close to finishing the job.

MQM-London and its founder, Altaf Hussain's repeated self-inflicted injuries played an important role in party's break-up and downfall after party's last biggest election victory in 2013. The bMQM, which could not recover after 2013 elections due to back-to-back splits, first in March, 2016, when Pak-Sarzameen Party was formed and second on Aug 22 (Pak), facing yet another crisis and it also raises some questions over Dr Farooq Sattar's leadership capacity.

Things looked quite bleak for the MQM, in the present political scenario and if it fails to overcome the crisis soon, writing is on the wall for them, which can also bring an end to “The movement called MQM”. It is now or never like situation for them.

Some MQM leaders believe that Liaquatabad public meeting had given them lot of hope and Hyderabad will be another test whether people still have confidence in the party or have decided to go for a change.   

The writer is the senior columnist and analyst of Geo, The News and Jang.

Twitter: @MazharAbbasGEO