KARACHI - Dissolving MQM coordination committees, Altaf Hussain on Thursday constituted a 12-member body to look into organisational affairs as a clean-up in the party goes on.
Hussain dissolved both the coordination committees in Karachi and London, and announced a seven-member interim body which was later given five more members.
The move comes in the wake of Hussain's Wednesday telephonic address to supporters and party workers assembled at Nine-Zero, where he affirmed he would purge MQM of 'corrupt’ and ‘unwanted' elements. A day earlier Hussain dissolved party’s Karachi tanzeemi (organising) committee, a key party wing, in view of numerous complaints about violation of the party discipline.
Sources privy to the matter say MQM is planning on launching new faces with immaculate character for top hierarchy, filtering out controversial and dubious workers and leaders.
This revival may pull a large concentration of angry party workers and supporters back to party folds. “We have been looking forward to this change,” said an MQM leader, complaining that gulf between the leadership and workers had widened over a long period.
The interim body of MQM will draw Aamir Khan, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Kanwer Naveed Jameel, Dr Nusrat, Dr Sagheer Ahmed, Dr Farooq Sattar and Saif Yar Khan as its members. Five others members later added to the body include Ashfaq Mangi, Gulfaraz Khan Khatak, Yousuf Shahwani, Iftekhar Randhawa and Mumtaz Anwar. The addition to the party body was announced by Hussain in his address to activists and supporters.
Nevertheless election of members to a new coordination committee is to be carried out in party’s workers meeting in Jinnah Ground in Azizabad area this Saturday. Altaf Hussain has already endorsed the decision the new committee made.
The committee meanwhile terminated basic membership of Hammad Siddiqui for violating the party discipline. A statement released by the committee Thursday said accountability process started on instructions from Altaf Hussain, and subsequent inquiry had led to the conclusion that party’s Karachi Tanzeemi Committee in-charge Hammad Siddiqui had violated the party discipline.
"The basic membership of Hammad Siddiqui has been terminated and the party has issued instructions to MQM workers not to maintain any direct or indirect contact with him," added the statement. Other members suspended were Saleem Tajik, Shakeel Omar, and Farooq Saleem.
Hussain on Wednesday warned any MQM member, office-bearer or worker found collecting donations would lose their basic party membership.
Another statement issued from MQM’s London Secretariat stated, workers, who were suspended for violation of the code of conduct, had been asked to submit applications for revival of their membership. Party office-bearers in London would review the pleas. Also, MQM-Haqqiqi – a breakaway faction of MQM – has voiced concern for MQM’s worries. It is expected that Afaq Ahmed rejoins MQM along with his party, MQM-Haqqiqi.