Daily Times

KARACHI: After the last-minute postponement of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan Bahadarabad faction’s press conference on Monday, reports started circulating on electronic media about a meeting held at the Karachi mayor’s residence where it was decided that efforts would be made to unite all factions of the party under the founding leader’s guidance ahead of the upcoming elections.

The reports stated that the press conference was postponed because Bahadurabad convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and other senior leaders including Kanwar Naveed Jamil, Kishwar Zehra, Wasim Akhter, Furqan Ateeb, Arshad Hasan and Aslam Afridi were in the middle of the meeting at Akhtar’s DHA residence.

When the media was informed that the press conference was postponed due to Siddiqui’s unforeseen engagements, reporters present on the occasion asked whether the deputy convener, Amir Khan, could not hold the press conference instead. MQM-P Bahadurabad leaders stated that he was also engaged somewhere.

Meanwhile, Khan, a staunch opponent of PIB faction leader Dr Farooq Sattar, was conspicuous by his absence at the meeting, according to sources close to the party. In fact, he was not informed about the meeting so that the faction leaders could devise a plan to end ongoing infighting.

The meeting reportedly decided to reach out to party workers at the grassroots level to take them into confidence that Dr Sattar and Bahadurabad faction was on the same page vis-à-vis party policies. Further, it decided that the party would contest the upcoming election under the guidance of Altaf Hussain, who now heads the London faction of the party.

The meeting also deliberated on a strategy to counter arbitrary arrests of workers in Karachi and Hyderabad which, it was observed, was creating disappointment among the ranks. It was decided that if needed street action would also be considered arbitrary arrests of workers.

Sources close to the party said that the meeting decided to not make anything regarding Amir Khan public before the general elections. During the meeting, concerns were raised about the loyalties of Sindh assembly opposition leader Khawaja Izharul Hassan who, according to sources, was seen as having a soft corner for the PPP because of his construction business in the city.

Earlier, PIB faction leader Kamran Tessori had told the media that in meeting held on February 5, a decision to replace Izhar in the assembly was postponed after Amir Khan and Faisal Sabzwari raised objections.

Amir Khan was also not present during the first joint press conference held by Sattar and Bahadurabad faction leaders last week before the former left the country for Dubai.

Party sources say that Barrister Farogh Naseem has assured Khan that he would get Sattar removed from the convener’s position in the ongoing legal battle between the two factions in the Islamabad High Court.

Meanwhile, the Bahadurabad faction spokesperson as well as the convener, Siddiqui, later denied that any decision was made in the meeting regarding uniting the party under Hussain’s leadership or regarding Amir Khan’s role.

Published in Daily Times, April 3^rd 2018.