ISLAMABAD - The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan will soon make a final decision to award party tickets as both factions – the Bhadarabad and the PIB Group- after their reunion have started contemplating to field most suitable candidates for contesting the upcoming general election.
The MQM-P, which has already split into different factions, may face another controversy in the award of tickets.
Both the Bhadarabad faction led by Khalid Maqbol and PIB faction headed by Farooq Sattar after a long legal and verbal battle reached a consensus to finally consider Siddiqui as the party convenor. The conciliatory committees of both factions of the MQM-Pakistan last week had played a key role in reuniting both the groups.
Sattar and his affiliated members accepted the desire of Kahlid Maqbool Siddiqui-led group and decided to contest from a single platform for election 2018.
The members of the Farooq Sattar-led group may face trouble in getting party tickets from Kahlid Maqbool Siddiqui for the upcoming polls. The senior members, including Farooq Sattar, would get party tickets to contest the polls but the fate of others still hangs in the balance, sources to The Nation.
When contacted, MQM-P’s Salman Baloch said that the bigwigs of the party would soon decide about the award of party tickets. “In our party tickets will be awarded on merit,” he said.
Former MQM-P’s MNA Ali Raza Abidi said the decision of awarding tickets on merit would be in the best interest of the party.
“Reaction is also expected if strong candidates were deprived,” Abidi when asked about the possible ‘injustice’ by the authority (Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui) in award of tickets.
The members having a close affiliation with Farooq Sattar, sources said, will hold a crucial meeting to chalk out a strategy to convince Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui to award tickets to all former lawmakers of the party.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had recently dismissed a petition of Dr Farooq Sattar, upholding the ECP’s decision to remove him as convener of the MQM-P.
As the Bhadarabad group had moved an application with the ECP against Dr Sattar after a rift emerged in the party ranks over the award of party tickets for Senate elections. Dr Sattar had challenged the ECP verdict in the IHC. The controversy over the party tickets between both factions had erupted after a clash between Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Dr Sattar.
Sources said that Dr Sattar had earlier decided to boycott the polls but after giving a second thought to its decision reached a consensus to join hands with Bhadarbad group led by Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui.
The idea was later dropped, sources said, considering that it could lead to further disintegration of the party. Many of the members affiliated with Farooq Sattar have yet to receive an indication from the ticket-awarding authority led by Siddiqui.
The sources said that a number of MQM-P former MNAs, including Sheikh Salahuddin, Ali Raza Abidi, Abdul Waseem, Syed Waseem Hussain, will hold a meeting with Farooq Sattar on this issue in the current week.
