lahore -

Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s sit-in against vote-rigging in NA-250 constituency of Karachi in general elections fizzled out into an anti-climax in the dead of night.
The party’s coordination committee called off the protest sit-in after midnight on orders from the chief, Altaf Hussain, that came after London’s Metropolitan police scrambled to gather evidence against his ominous sounding televised speech on Sunday night.
The MQM decided to suspend its protest until the Election Commission of Pakistan handed down its judgement on its application lodged with it, and offered felicitations to Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan.
In his address to a joint session of MQM’s Karachi and London coordination committees, Hussain asked for calling off the sit-in until the decision from the election commission on their application lodged against alleged rigging at some polling stations in Karachi.
Not surprisingly, Hussain congratulated former premier Nawaz Sharif on victory in polls, saying he admitted PML-N’s clear mandate, and expected that the PML-N chief would reciprocate and would also admit MQM’s mandate in Karachi. He hoped the incoming PML-N government would do justice to the country. Hussain also congratulated PTI chief Imran Khan for sweeping Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and prayed for his health.
Another significant thing about Hussain’s address was his apology to newsmen. He said he was apologetic to media fraternity if his words hurt them in any manner.
Later, speaking to participants of the sit-in, top MQM leader Farooq Sattar said his party hoped that the election commission would make decision on their complaint in accordance with the law and constitution.
Sattar announced to observe Friday as Thanksgiving Day for what he called party’s success in Karachi.
Speaking on the occasion, MQM leader Anees Qaimkhwani termed the sit-in successful.
Meanwhile, senior MQM leader Ishratul Ebad Khan rang former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif to congratulate him on PML-N’s victory in general elections.
It may be mentioned here that the MQM had been holding a sit-in protest against results of 43 polling stations of NA-250.