KARACHI  - Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Bahdurabad faction led by Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui is gaining strength against Farooq Sattar’s PIB group as six MPAs of PIB group met the Bahadurabad leadership and assured their support to them. 

MQM-P spokesperson talking to The Nation informed that provincial assembly lawmakers including Syed Waqar Hussain Shah, Diwan Chand Chawala, Jamal Ahmed, Kamran AKhter, Azeem Farooqui and Nishat Qadri visited Bahadurbad office on Friday and held meeting with Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Senior Deputy Convener Amir Khan.  

He informed that during the meeting legislators assured the party leadership to follow its rules and regulation. Furthermore MQM-P decision making body has also directed the provincial legislators to pay rapid visit to their constituencies and make efforts to resolve the public issue on immediate basis.  

Internal party sources privy to the matter said that legislators those were earlier the part of PIB Colony Chapter has left Sattar and were in contact with Bahadurabad while most of them has officially held the meeting with party convener assuring complete confidence on leadership of Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. Those who had met included Jamal Ahmed, Kamran Akhter, Azeem Farouqi and Nishat Zia Qadri.   

They further said that all the party MNAs, MPAs, elected representatives of the local government are in contact with MQM-P Bahadurabad office.  

MPA Kamran Akhter confirmed the meeting with Bahadurabad faction leaders and said that they were part of MQM-P and the differences among the ranks do not mean that there is any infighting among the party.  

He said that the meeting included more than six lawmakers and hopefully the differences between the faction s would be resolved soon. “The infighting is only benefitting other parties and causing a loss to not only MQM-P and its supporters but also the masses in urban centres of the province,” he said. 

On the other side, MQM Lawmakers, members associated with party structure and even the operatives of the MQM election cell joining the PSP since the party came on the surface while the process to join PSP has geared up in last couple of weeks. 

Majority of the leaders including lawmakers associated with MQM Pakistan Dr Farooq Sattar faction frequently joined the PSP in last couple of days.    

Sources privy to the matter revealed that the plan to flash out MQM from parliamentary politics remains unchanged and the issues were settled before the press conference of Dr Farooq Sattar along with PSP Chairman Mustafa Kamal at Karachi Press Club (KPC). MQM senior leader wish to be anonymous explained The Nation that Dr Sattar convinced to merge MQM with PSP and sought to establish new political party with new name, slogan and party flag. 

He said that Dr Sattar would have made the plan successful but Mustafa Kamal press talk on the occasion exposed the plan which resulted in reaction from the party cadre compelling Sattar to retreat. 

Sources said that party strong ideological figures realised situation and hardly removed him from the slot of party convener to safe the party. Sources said that Dr Sattar would easily close the chapter of MQM if he remains headed the party. 

Following the situation, shifting of legislatures from MQM to PSP started to at least make MQM weak in parliamentary politics and to remove the MQM opposition leader from Sindh Assembly and Mayor Karachi. 

Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan coordination committee member Amin-ul-Haq while talking to The Nation said that MQM gave the timeframe to Dr Sattar and others to rejoin the party unconditionally. In reply to a question, he said that it would be possible that Dr Sattar would join PSP followed by his comrades.