Politics

Altaf Hussain terms MQM merger ‘a forced marriage, made for divorce’

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

Altaf Hussian issues statement after MQM merger announcement.
Says he is thankful to those who brought MQM factions together.
Merger will only strengthen my politics, says MQM founder.

LONDON: Founder Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain on Thursday, termed the reunification of MQM splinter groups a “forced marriage” bound to end in a bad divorce.

Talking to the media after a court appearance at the London High Court, the MQM founder and leader Altaf Hussain welcomed the development, saying it will only strengthen his politics and his continuing influence in the city.

Altaf said that the establishment should expedite the reunification efforts saying he was thankful to those who brought them together. He added that the Muhajir nation could see how genuine leadership was removed by using force to create artificial leadership.

Altaf Hussain added that he was overjoyed at the merger of MQM factions, as this will help him direct his criticism towards one party rather than various factions, which was confusing for everyone.

Hussain said MQM-P had launched a case against him at the London court to snatch nearly half-a-dozen properties from him. Those who used to call him their father have betrayed him for the sake of money and power politics, but they will not succeed.

Two senior MQM-P leaders, on condition of anonymity, said that Altaf Hussain’s supporters who disappeared after the crackdown in 2016, have resurfaced in the last few months.

They said the MQM workers often ask them questions for going against Altaf Hussain and not taking a stand for him the way supporters of Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan stood by them in difficult times.

They said the Altaf Hussain factor cannot be eliminated from Karachi unless the MQM-P delivers for the local communities.

MQM-P reunification

In a presser on Thursday, MQM-P’s Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, MQM Organisation Restoration Committee founder Dr Farooq Sattar and Pak Sarzameen Party’s (PSP) Mustafa Kamal reunited under the banner of MQM-Pakistan.

Kamal established the PSP in 2016 and Sattar formed the MQM Restoration Committee in 2018 after developing differences with the party.

Political commentators termed the move “major”, saying that the merger of the old guard will definitely affect the 2023 General Elections if the party remains intact.

In a press conference flanked by the top brass of the party, MQM-P Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said the “graveness” of the situation in Sindh’s urban areas requires all people to join hands.

“It is important that under the circumstances, the people, whose families laid down their lives for Pakistan’s formations, should come together for a historic struggle,” the MQM-P leader said.

Latest News

PTI presents seven nominations to Imran Khan for the judicial commission.

Published

13 hours ago

Farwa

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has proposed seven individuals to its founder, Imran Khan, for consideration as founding members of PTI for membership in the next Judicial Commission.

None of the nominated individuals are attorneys; rather, the roster includes four Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) and three senators.

The proposed MNAs are Umar Ayub, Asad Qaiser, Ali Mohammad Khan, and Aamir Dogar, while the senators are Shibli Faraz, Mohsen Aziz, and Aun Abbas Bapi. Sources suggest that the Judicial Commission will include one opposition member from both the National Assembly and the Senate.

The PTI founder will evaluate and endorse two names from the suggested list, which will then be sent to the Speaker for future actions.

Latest News

Miller confirmed that Biden’s administration got a letter from a congressman requesting the release of the PTI founder.

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

Following his removal as prime minister in 2022, Khan started a protest movement against a coalition of his enemies led by current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Since then, he has been in jail since August 2023 and has been involved in hundreds of cases.

In response to ARY News’ question over the congressmen’s letter during a media briefing in Washington on Monday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “We will respond in due course to the members.”

The United States wants to see Pakistan maintain its democracy, Miller stated.

The release of the PTI founder’s wife and sisters was a result of a meeting between the US Deputy Assistant Secretary and a Pakistani government representative in Islamabad, which was further questioned during the press briefing.

“I won’t be addressing that,” Miller said when asked if the United States was involved in their release. Miller did, however, affirm that the conference included the defense of Pakistan’s basic liberties and rights.

Sixty-two members of the US Congress urged President Joe Biden on October 24 to support the release of Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, and other political prisoners.

The congressmen, who included well-known Muslim members Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, said in their letter that the Biden administration should ask Pakistani authorities to guarantee the safety of PTI founder Imran Khan.

They also underlined that US policy should concentrate on Pakistan’s human rights situation and asked that US ambassadors attend the PTI leader’s incarceration.

Latest News

A bill pertaining to the number of Supreme Court justices will soon be presented.

Published

3 days ago

Farwa

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), recently met, and the inside story of their conversation has revealed important political developments.

The leaders talked about a variety of constitutional and governance matters, including the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, according to sources.

One of the primary outcomes of the conference was the decision to expeditiously introduce a bill in parliament that would increase the number of judges on the Supreme Court. Immediately after it is introduced in parliament, this law is expected to be approved in a matter of days.

In addition, the recently ratified 26th Constitutional Amendment was discussed, with particular attention paid to creating a system for the establishment of constitutional benches at the federal and provincial levels. The formation of constitutional benches would be the subject of formal meetings, they agreed.

Furthermore, the leaders examined the pending measure concerning the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) municipal authority, which has been sent to the appropriate committee for additional assessment.

They also discussed the implementation of an agreement on Punjabi issues between the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). According to sources, the conference also discussed the status of an agreement over fund release and administrative jobs in Punjab.

Bilawal Bhutto was reassured by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that the federal government would continue to support continued development initiatives in Sindh.

PM Sharif and Bilawal met on Sunday at the premier’s Model Town home in Lahore, where they talked about the newly ratified 26th Constitutional Amendment and pledged to support Pakistan’s parliamentary system and democracy.

As a historic step, Bilawal Bhutto celebrated the 26th Constitutional Amendment’s adoption during the meeting. He said: “We will work together to strengthen democracy and parliament.”

In agreement, Shehbaz credited the amendment’s accomplishment to the combined efforts of all coalition members. He promised that his commitment to the people would not falter and reiterated his commitment to public service.