Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice (r) Sardar Muhammad Raza on Monday announced the verdict against Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan (MQM-P) Chief Dr Farooq Sattar, dismissing him from the post of party convener.

A five-member bench, headed by Justice Sardar, conducted proceedings of the MQM convener-ship case against Sattar. The court dismissed Sattar of his post and annulled intraparty elections of MQM-PIB wing.

Sattar had earlier filed a plea, challenging Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) jurisdiction, stating the issue was party’s problem to which the answer lied within the party laws. He said that the ECP’s responsibility was to arrange elections at different government platforms, not to interfere in party issues.

Leader of MQM-P Kamran Tessori said that appropriate measures will be taken to resolve the issue and respect ECP’s verdict.

In a conversation with the media after the hearing, one of the party leaders said that 95 percent of the party took Khalid Maqbool as part convener whereas MQM-PIB had claimed that 12000 members placed their confidence in Farooq Sattar.

MQM-P had earlier divided into two groups led by Farooq Sattar and Amir Khan over an intraparty disagreement regarding the nomination of Senate elections. Sattar apparently nominated Kamran Tessori’s name for the Senate ticket which was opposed by Khan.

Thus the coordination committee had involved the ECP by a written letter to ransack Dr Sattar’s authority given to him by his post. The ECP had earlier dismissed Tessori from the committee.

Meanwhile, MQM-P leader Syed Ali Raza Abidi has announced on Twitter that Farooq Sattar will be holding a press conference later today.