Daily Times

KARACHI: Only four provincial assembly members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, including Bahadurabad group leader Khwaja Izharul Hassan, attended the Friday session of the Sindh Assembly.

Speaking to the media, Hasan said that many MPAs and workers in both groups wanted the ongoing tussle to end, but the leaders on both sides were the cause of the continued uncertainty. In this situation, he said it would be very tough for the party to participate in the Senate elections. Amid prevailing uncertainty, he said he and other MPAs he was in contact with would boycott the provincial assembly session that is set to resume on Monday.

Several other MPAs Daily Times spoke to confirmed that they would not attend the session or any meetings called by either of the two groups until the leaders end their differences and come together on a united platform.

Besides Izharul Hasan, this position was endorsed by MPAs Mehfooz Yar Khan, Syed Sardar Ahmed, Shazia Farooq, Amir Moin Peerzada and Muzahir Amir.

They said they were trying their best to strike a compromise between the two factions, some of them were in contact with MQM leaders in exile like Haider Abbas Rizvi, who were being requested to mediate between the two factions.

These MPAs have decided to keep a distance from the PIB and Bahadurabad factions until differences are resolved.

While contacted, a spokesperson for the Farooq Sattar led faction said that Izharul Hasan and others position meant that they were dissatisfied with the Bahdarabad group. He said none of the MPAs with Sattar would boycott the ongoing assembly session. He said they could not attendFriday’s proceedings because of party engagements. On Monday, all MPAs with the PIB faction would be present in the assembly, he said.

MPA Farooq Shah, one of the MPAs who has taken a public position in support of Sattar’s faction, confirmed that he would attend Monday’ssession.

On other hand, the spokesperson for the Bahadrabad group agreed that party workers and activists were worried about the ongoing crisis but he distanced the group from Hasan’s position, saying, “you should ask him [Izharul Hasan] why he will boycott the session and the Senate election. His position does not reflect the stance of the Bahadurabad group.”

MPA Muhammad Dilawar, who has joined the Pak Sarzameen Party, said, “we have decided to attend the assembly sessions and raise our voice for Karachi residents’ cause. We do not want to miss the opportunity.”

Referring to the MQM-P’s ongoing crisis, he said the so-called ‘representatives of Karachi’ had damaged the city and its people to an extent of no return, but the PSP had the right formula and the will to turn around the wheel not only for Sindh but for Karachi too, because ‘we love Karachi and we own it’. He further stressed that PSP won’t let those powers who are working against Pakistan to nourish on the blood of the motherland. He said that PSP MPAs shall not keep their stipends for themselves but shall send these stipends to the poor families of the deceased.

Published in Daily Times, February  24^th 2018.