Will MQM-P split unseat city mayor?

The News learnt on Thursday that efforts are afoot to move a vote of no confidence against Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar to bring in disputed deputy mayor Dr Arshad Vohra as his replacement.

Vohra had quit the MQM-P to join ex-city mayor Mustafa Kamal’s PSP back in October, following which the deputy mayor’s claim to his position was disputed by his former party. While the election commission is yet to decide the matter, The News has found out that after the split within the MQM-P, the application against Vohra may be withdrawn to get him promoted to mayor.

Earlier this month the MQM-P split into the Dr Farooq Sattar-led PIB faction and Amir Khan’s Bahadurabad group, primarily over Sattar’s suggestion to award businessman Kamran Tessori a party ticket to contest next month’s Senate elections.

Since Akhtar has sided with the Bahadurabad faction, Sattar has reportedly met with PSP leaders to plan moving a vote of no confidence against the mayor so Vohra could replace him.

While the disputed deputy mayor said he would provide a comment later, the spokesman for the PSP denied that his party and Sattar’s PIB group are planning to remove Akhter. The spokesman claimed that both factions would set their differences aside to unite within 24 hours.

The News has also learnt that the mayor recently held a meeting to get a vote of confidence after the MQM-P split started affecting the performance of the KMC and DMCs.