Daily Times

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan was compelled to postpone its All-Parties Conference on Tuesday as no one from other major political parties turned up to attend the moot.

MQM-Pakistan had planned multi-party moot to discuss three-point agenda including, solidarity of Pakistan, uprooting corruption from the country and empowerment of local government system. Major political, national and religious parties including Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Awami National Party, Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam-F and All Pakistan Muslim League were invited to participate in the conference. However, all the parties refused to attend the conference at the eleventh hour through media, lamented Dr Farooq Sattar, president of MQM-P. “Our All Parties Conference has now turned into a press conference”, said Sattar. “We had invited all the parties to discuss the matters relating to national interests.” Sattar claimed that all the parties had accepted invitation on Monday but on the day of the event they refused to attend. Farooq thanked Muhajir Qaumi Movement’s leader Afaq Ahmed and Pak Sarzameen Party leader Mustafa Kamal for “warmly accepting” their invitation to attend APC. Last week MQM-Pakistan had established party-level contacts with its arch rival Muhajir Qaumi Movement and Pak Sarzameen leader Mustafa Kamal who had responded, “Setting aside our all differences we sent our representatives to all the parties including PSP and MQM-H.” He said that PML-N delegation had also responded positively and was on their way to the conference but had informed them about the postponement of the conference. “Those who boycotted the event have in fact rejected stance of our party that we adopted on August 23rd, a day after the controversial anti-sate speech of the party’s founder from London and subsequent emergence of the ‘Pakistan’ faction of the MQM,” Farooq Sattar said. “Those who didn’t show up today have strengthened the London narrative.” When Daily Times contacted PTI leader Dr Arif Alvi, he said, “We have serious concerns with regards to past activities of the party and its secret dealings with new prime minister.” The purpose of organizing such events was nothing but to unite its factions, Alvi observed. PML-F General Secretary Sardar Abdul Rahim viewed the APC as an effort to cobble together the factions of MQM but not to discuss or solve issues of Sindh. Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club, Abdul Rahim said that that MQM didn’t invite them formally to attend the event which was absolutely against manners. “If they talk about Sindh how they can ignore us while talking about Sindh’s politics,” he questioned.

Published in Daily Times, August 23^rd 2017.