KARACHI - The Bahadurabad faction of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Friday staged an impressive show at the general workers meeting in Gulshan-e-Iqbal where the party leadership laid stress on the need to uphold the constitution and norms of the party rather than a personality.
The party meeting also adopted resolutions, saying the PIB general workers meeting was unconstitutional and had no importance. The party would run as per the constitution and principles, it said.
A resolution stating that Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui is the unanimous convener of the party was also passed. Speaking on the occasion, MQM-P Bahadurabad Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said the gathering of party activists had rejected all claims aimed at damaging the party and the party is purified rather than divided after these decisions.
“This gathering is not for any competition. We do not have any competition with anyone. This meeting is not meant to threaten anyone. This is a routine meeting,” he said. He said their mission was to fulfil the aim for which the country was founded and it was the path of democracy which was to be followed. He said the time had now come to intensify the struggle for the rights of the Mohajir community. “Today we are also considering where our struggle for Mohajir rights has reached,” he said, adding that they were heirs to the Sindh province and they would raise the issue of their rights more vocally in the coming days.
Addressing Farooq Sattar, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said he wanted Sattar to come and join his group and run the party as convener but per the constitution. He said the leader would not ask for powers; instead, he would empower his subordinates and strengthen his people and his party’s organisation.
He said if Sattar claims he has 30 years of experience in politics, he should know that over 300 years of experience is sitting on the stage. “In MQM, activists find their leader on their own,” he said.
Addressing the general workers’ convention, Amir Khan said that MQM was a party of middle class instead of feudal lords or rich people. “We presented ourselves to party workers with all facts and figures so that they could decide whether we should stand by party rules or the personality,” he said. “If we will violate the constitution tomorrow, these activists will stand up against us in a similar fashion as they did today,” he said.
“It was mere propaganda that I wanted to capture the party. Instead, I opposed decisions on the basis of principles,” he said adding that he announced that he would never accept convenership of the party.
Amir Khan said that he tried his best to convince Faroq Sattar but unfortunately he did not heed to any recommendation from the coordination committee. “A high turnout in today’s meeting has proved that our decision was right and party activists stand by the constitution of the party,” he said.
Had Farooq Sattar fought for martyrs’ families, he said, it would have inspired people and they would have given him more respect, but unfortunately he left people while fighting for a person who was just rich.
Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar said his party men had invited Farooq Sattar to join them and they would contest the next general elections together and win more seats. He said that he did not care for mayorship as it was won for him by the party when he was in prison.
Abdullah Zafar