Farooq Sattar challenges jurisdiction of ECP over MQM-P convenership case

ISLAMABAD: Farooq Sattar on Thursday challenged the jurisdiction of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM) convenership case.

During the hearing, Sattar’s lawyer requested to dismiss MQM leader Kanwar Naveed’s petition and challenged the decision to declare the petitions as admissible.

The lawyer continued that the party’s law already contains the solution to such issues, however, the ECP cannot hear such cases. He added that the ECP’s responsibility is to arrange elections for Senate, national and provincial assemblies.

Talking to press outside the ECP premises, Sattar took exception to the commission’s intervention and insisted that the MQM-P belongs to the party workers and only they would protect it.

On the occasion, he offered an intra-party election for the convenership to Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui in a bid to unify the party and evade the ECP intervention.

Sattar maintained that the issue of convenership could be resolved within the framework of the party’s constitution.

On February 27, the ECP gave two days to the PIB faction of the MQM-P to submit replies in petitions filed by the Bahadurabad group against Dr Farooq Sattar.

The petitions included removal of Sattar as a convener by a two-thirds majority of the Raabita Committee and replacing him with Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, the other challenges February 18 intra-party elections held under the leadership of Sattar – an election that he won by a heavy margin, becoming the party convener.

The conflict between two factions of the party-Rabita Committee-led Bahadurabad and Sattar-led PIB groups-emerged over the distribution of tickets for upcoming Senate elections. Rabita Committee strongly opposed Sattar’s decision to give the ticket to newcomer Kamran Tessori.

As per media reports, Bahadurabad group has rejected Sattar’s suggestion to dissolve Rabita Committee. The former, in return, has suggested PIB group to constitute a parliamentary board.

The suggestions came after Tessori’s meeting with Rabita Committee on Sunday night. While hinting at a ‘positive turn’ in talks, he added that MQM-P will make all efforts to re-conciliate for the interests of Muhajirs.

Tessori met Rabita Committee members including Naeem-ul-Haq, Faisal Sabzwari, Amir Khan and other leaders.