KARACHI: Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Pakistan leaders should shun their differences, as this infighting has damaged the party, depriving urban centres of Sindh from their due representation in the Senate of Pakistan. These views were expressed by Karachi District Central chairman Rehan Hashmi, while talking to journalists on Friday. Hashmi pointed out that Senate election had exposed disunity within the ranks of MQM-Pakistan. The party succeeded to win only one seat in the Upper House on March 3. Even after desertion of eight MPAs who got elected on MQM-P tickets but later joined Mustafa Kamal’s PSP, the party had considerable strength in the provincial assembly which could have enabled it to easily win three seats. “The election result should serve as an eye-opener for the leadership. Divisions would be detrimental to the party as well as the urban centres of the province that are its stronghold,” Hashmi added. He described the prevailing strife in the party as a major blow to the sentiments of people of urban Sindh and supporters and sympathisers of MQM-P, who had pinned high hopes on the party for bringing a positive change in their lives. Hashmi said the upper house of the Parliament would not have voices from urban Sindh. “Over the last 10 years, civic conditions and standards of living in urban areas of the province have turned from bad to worst due to the apathy of federal and provincial governments towards these areas of Sindh,” he lamented. “The only option MQM-Pakistan was left with was to raise its voice against these injustices in legislative assemblies by exercising its democratic rights. But we have conceded ground to rival forces in the assemblies as well due to disunity within our ranks. The number of seats won by the PPP was not proportional to its strength in provincial assembly.” Hashmi said that poor performance of MQM-Pakistan in Senate election should be a wake-up call for party’s high-ups and they should forge unity in rank and file of the party by rising above petty vested interests. “Divided we fall, united we stand. MQM leaders need to recall this forgotten lesson to save the party from future disaster,” he asserted. Published in Daily Times, March 10th 2018.