A United MQM-P?

Bol News talks to various leaders, analysts to determine when and why MQM-P may reunify

KARACHI: There is no last word in politics, as they say. So, there are emerging signs that various factions of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), who have been at daggers drawn against each other till recently, might unite in 2023 to strengthen politics of urban Sindh.

Internal schisms in MQM, the predecessor of MQM-P, were triggered by a controversial speech made by the London-based supreme commander of the party, Altaf Hussain, on 22 August 2016. It led to a crackdown on the party by the law enforcement agencies. Its headquarters, located on the famous Nine-Zero premises in Karachi’s Azizabad neighbourhood was sealed, prominent leaders such as Dr Farooq Sattar were arrested, and its elected representatives dissociated themselves from Altaf Hussain.

Over six years down the line, there have been recent attempts to settle differences among leaders of the MQM-P and other splinter groups in an effort to restore the party’s lost power and prestige among its followers, mainly the Urdu-speaking people whose ancestors migrated from India at the time of the Partition in 1947 and settled in parts of urban Sindh in including Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Tando Allahyar and other districts.

And it’s not a long shot either, as almost all factions have similar manifestos, focused on the interests of these people.

The splits were mostly caused by personal differences among various leaders once Altaf Hussain’s charisma was removed from the scene. Since then, MQM-P has come out as the only faction to have secured seats in the national and provincial assemblies. The other main faction, the Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) headed by Mustafa Kamal and Anis Qaimkhani, failed to win a single seat during the 2018 elections.

A prominent MQM leader, Dr Farooq Sattar, who dissociated from Altaf Hussain after the latter’s controversial speech, and later parted ways with MQM-P over some differences with other leaders, is currently heading MQM-P’s Organisation Restoration Committee (ORC), constituted to reunite party factions.

Bol News spoke to some party leaders and independent observers to explore prospects of MQM-P’s reunification.

Mohammad Rehan Hashmi, senior leader MQM-P

It is time that the leaders set aside their personal differences and egos so as to be able to serve the larger interests of the people. They all should strengthen the mother body – the MQM-P, of which they all have been a part.

On its part, the MQM-P is constitutionally, legally and morally bound to take everyone along. Its public support mainly came because of its manifesto that backs agricultural reforms, the abolition of feudal system and quota system, and ensuring equal rights and opportunities for Karachiites. Unity is needed to achieve these objectives and overcome the impediments put in its way by opponenets in the past.

Aasia Ishaque, central information secretary PSP

No one knows what will happen tomorrow. There is no yes or no so far. Everything is revolving around assumptions. For PSP, there are three facets of the problem. If any party is eager to implement them, the PSP will support it.

First, just like roles of the Prime Minister, the provincial Chief Ministers and governors are defined in the Constitution, so should those of the mayors/nazims through a constitutional amendments. Second, provincial finance commissions (PFCs) be provided for in the Constitution, just like the National Finance Commission (NFC), with the powers to allocate funds for various districts and urban/rural localities. Provinces should be denied their share of the NFC Awards until they set up such PFCs. Third, no elections should be held for national and provincial assemblies until local bodies elections have been held.

Dr Saleem Haider, chairman Mohajir Ittehad Tehreek

It will not be a miracle if the MQM-P, PSP and Dr Farooque Sattar shake hands with each other. Politically they cannot survive without each other. Individually, they all want to stick to power, and therefore the powerful establishment has been able to keep them divided and use them to achieve its own aims. We saw the results in 2018 elections. More recently the priorities of the establishment have changed. It now appears to be aiming to achieve its desired results by uniting them.

Zafar Hilaly, senior analyst

It looks as if a command has been issued from somewhere that they should unite. In the past, all of them are known to have been willing to listen to and comply with such commands. Without such a command, they would be quite unlikely to go for a unification. They know eachother’s secrets, and often leak them here and there.

Generally speaking, they have old enmity, and they are power-hungry. MQM-P, led by Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui garnered maximum votes in comparison with other groups, but it also failed to deliver on its promises. I think they are getting united because they fear the rising popularity of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and are scared that it might end up winning more seats in Karachi in coming local bodies elections.

Mohajir Qau­mi Movement-Haqiqi (MQM-H) chief, Afaq Ahmed, has been a strong advocate of the Muhajir cause and seems eager to work with other MQM factions. He has been in touch with them through inter-party links since early 2022. However, MQM-P and PSP are still reluctant to end differences with him. According to well-placed source, as and when MQM-London (MQM-L) gets a chance to return to the arena, all factions will vanish from the scene. Meanwhile, the MIT, headed by Dr Saleem Haider, is an ideological party and is not involved in power politics. It has always opposed the factions that it believes made a mess of the situation in Karachi, Hyderabad and the rest of Sindh.