Senate candidates: Dr Farooq ready to concede to Rabita Committee nominations

KARACHI: In a major reconciliatory move to overcome the MQM split, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Dr Farooq Sattar announced to relinquish his authority to nominate party candidates for the upcoming Senate elections, while authorising the MQM-P's “dissolved” Coordination Committee to suggest four names for the purpose.

Addressing the media at his PIB Colony residence on Friday, Dr Farooq Sattar said he would readily announce the names of the Senate candidates as and when they are finalised by the "dissolved" Coordination Committee without any objection. Announcing that he will have no say in the selection process, he said: “The Rabita Committee should give us names who would be our candidates (for Senate polls) while the rest of the candidates will withdraw.” He said he will not personally back or recommend any candidate. Dr Sattar said that he had reached the conclusion to accept the recommendations of the Coordination Committee in the larger interests of the party unity and safeguarding its future role. He claimed the Election Commission of Pakistan has duly recognized him as the legal head of the MQM Pakistan.

The ECP, he said, has not granted a stay against the upcoming intra-party elections on 18 February, 2018 despite the efforts of the dissolved Coordination Committee, which approached the ECP to reverse the process. He said the intra-party election would elect new Coordination Committee and the party's Central Executive Council. Taking a swipe at the "dissolved" Coordination Committee for illegally convening the party's general workers meeting, he charged it was done with the help of government’s machinery and manpower.

Meanwhile, extending an olive branch, convener of the Bahadurabad faction of MQM-Pakistan, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, offered Dr Farooq Sattar to join them and once again lead the party. While addressing a general workers meeting on Friday, Dr Siddiqui

claimed that thousands of activists of MQM had come to attend the meeting to show solidarity within the party and foil conspiracies to divide it.

Speaking on the ocassion, Senior Deputy Convener Aamir Khan rejected the allegations that he had been maneuvering to illegally occupy the party and assume its command. He said he always stood by the principles and upheld the cause of genuine workers of the party. He said he would continue with principled-based opposition.

Mayor Karachi Waseem Akhtar also also invited Dr Farooq Sattar to once again resume the party's leadership saying it will be unfortunate if the party splits over candidacy for the Senate elections. MPA Faisal Sabzwari said they would foil conspiracies against the unity and solidarity of the party as the MQM was sustained by the innumerable sacrifices of the party workers and their families in the interests of political struggle.