MQM crisis subsides

Despite a major breakthrough, the crisis in Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) is not yet over. The top leaders of MQM 'Bahadurababd' faction led by Amir Khan called on MQM-P chief Dr Farooq Sattar, at latter's PIB residence on Saturday night. Farooq Sattar himself saw off the delegation which also included Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Kunwar Naveed and Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar but that team left without talking to media persons present outside MQM chief's residence.
Later, Farooq Sattar said the deputy conveners of the co-ordination committee had met him at his house. He said the committee members had earlier visited his house twice. He said all of them were like a family. He said that the other group had withdrawn its letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan. He said he had not changed his mind on his 7th February proposal. He disclosed that the name of Kamran Tissori had already been excluded from the list of possible contestants but the "apple of discord" was something else.
He announced he was ready to go to Bahadurabad if the other group unanimously acquiesced to four new names for Senate elections. Otherwise, he said, they should not contest Senate elections.
Earlier, at a press conference, senior deputy convener Amir Khan broke down into tears, saying he would never accept convener-ship or any other top position in the party. He rebuffed the charges that he was responsible for internal party rifts. Salman Baloch, who rejoined MQM-P yesterday, however, continued to blame Amir Khan, claiming that he would also harm his incumbent comrades in co-ordination committee.
Earlier in the day, Farooq Sattar denounced the Bahadurabad faction and announced he would send show-cause notices to them. He had held a meeting at his PIB Colony residence where he revealed the story of internal differences to the assembly members. He asserted there was no dispute on Kamran Tessori, but in fact, Amir Khan wanted to control the entire party. He said Amir Khan wanted to form 'MQM-Haqiqi part-2'. He asked the party members whether they would allow it to happen; to which, they vowed their support to him. Faisal Sabzwari of the group said that they were also running out of patience now as Farooq Sattar had failed to visit the Bahadurabad headquarters despite repeated requests.
Later in the night, the Bahadurababd MQM office received the show-cause notices delivered to it through a courier service. The 'Bahadurabad faction' of MQM was examining the contents of show-cause notices at the residence of Barrister Farogh Nasim till filing of this report on Saturday night.