News Analysis |
The chief of MQM-Pakistan, Farooq Sattar, has been removed as convener of the Mutahidda Qaumi Movement before noon on the 26th of March. In MQM-P, Farooq Sattar’s role was to bring together differing and dissenting party members to resolve intra-party disputes.
The Election Commission of Pakistan announced the ruling today. Previously, Farooq Sattar had challenged the jurisdiction of the ECP, saying that the commission had no right to make decisions about internal matters regarding his party. Sattar’s legal counsel, Babar Sattar filed a petition, arguing that the ECP cannot hear matters internal to the party. The MQM-Pakistan’s chief went to the ECP for a hearing on the 1st of March.
Intra-party elections were held before the recent senate elections and Farooq Sattar was elected as the convener. “MQM-P belongs to the party’s workers and only they will protect it,” Sattar said outside the ECP offices. “They [party workers] announced their verdict in the intra-party elections.”
On February 11th, Farooq Sattar was deposed as convener by the Rabita Committee. Then, on February 19th, he was elected as party convener after securing over 9000 votes in intra-party elections held in Karachi and Hyderabad.
The MQM-P has been going through a crisis recently. There has been ongoing tensions between different factions of the Mutahhida Qaumi Movement. There had been differences over who would get the tickets for candidature in Senate elections between the leaders of both factions. And when the results of the senate elections came out, the MQM-P was whitewashed, despite attempts to maintain unity within the party.
Read more: MQM drama continues: Farooq Sattar elected party chief again
On February 11th, Farooq Sattar was deposed as convener by the Rabita Committee. Then, on February 19th, he was elected as party convener after securing over 9000 votes in intra-party elections held in Karachi and Hyderabad.
The Bahadurabad group, however, termed the election illegal, saying that only the Rabita Committee can make decisions about who is chosen as party convener. A petition was filed by members of the Bahadurabad faction against the election of Farooq Sattar as convener. The ECP today nullified Sattar’s convener-ship.