MQM faces fissures once again, this time over Senate elections

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) which has been marred with reported divisions since its split from Altaf-led London’s MQM, is facing reported fissures once again, and this time it’s over the issue of tickets for the upcoming Senate elections.

The discontent within the party emerged when party chief Dr Farooq Sattar revealed his intention to give the tickets to senior leaders Amir Khan and Faisal Sabzwari.

The decision did not bode well for the party leaders as the party divided into two main groups owing to the leaders’ concerns about Sattar keeping them in dark regarding the nomination of the names.

A local media outlet reported that the two groups within the MQM-P were openly confronting each other on the issue.

Kunwar Naveed Jamil, Khawaja Izharul Hasan, Aminul Haque and Kamran Tisori were among those expressing reservations over Sattar’s decision. They maintain that the tickets should have been given to Aminul Haque and Kunwar Naveed.

However, Dr Sattar tried to placate the leaders as he assured them that those who could not be given the Senate’s tickets will be given the tickets for national and provincial assemblies. But he failed to allay the concerns, as the disgruntled leaders questioned the success of the party in the general elections, especially defeat in the recent by-elections.

MQM-P’s Tisori—reportedly in media for his internal rift with the party leaders—said in the party meetings that his one-year-long performance ‘surpassed’ the work of many in the last 30 years as he worked day and night. He also touted the opening of the party offices in unchartered territories especially the Hyderabad zonal office.

Citing all these ‘achievements’, he, therefore, presented himself as another potential candidate for the Senate ticket.

The MQM-P will contest for 12 Senate seats from Sindh. Four of its senators were retiring in March and it will be interesting to see as to how many seats MQM-P manages to win as seven of its MPAs have left to join Mustafa Kamal’s Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) while five were currently abroad for ‘personal’ reasons.