KARACHI: Altaf Hussain, the chief of the beleaguered Muttahida Qaumi Movement, has reconstituted the party’s central executive council (CEC) and empowered it to draft a new constitution of the party or amend the existing one.

The first CEC was formed in March 2011 but it became functional after about eight months when names of its members were announced.

The mandate of the previous CEC did not include involvement in the party’s organisational matters in Karachi. But the new 28-member CEC will be looking after the working of Karachi’s 26 sectors of the MQM’s organisational structure.

It will also look after the party affairs in the rest of Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir and other parts of the country. However, it will work under the coordination committee.

According to an MQM press release issued on Sunday, Mr Hussain said the CEC would also recommend the suspension or expulsion of members found involved in violating party discipline.

“It will act as parliament of the MQM whose members will enjoy [organisational] powers. This CEC will make the constitution of the MQM and can also amend the existing constitution.”

He said more members would be added to the CEC soon.

The new CEC members are: Senator Nasreen Jalil, MNA Rashid Godial, Kanwar Khalid Younus, Adil Siddiqui, Babar Ghauri, Dr Saghir Ahmed, Ahmed Saleem Siddiqui, Tariq Javed, Aminul Haq, Tauseef Khanzada, Shakir Ali, Javed Kazmi, Saleem Tajik, Waseem Akhtar, Shahid Latif, Ashfaq Mangi, Yousuf Shahwani, Iftikhar Randhawa, Saif Yar Khan, Abu Bakar Siddiqui, Anwar Alam, Kishwar Zehra, Zarreen Majid, Naeem Siddiqui, Heer Sohu, Naila Latif, Shabbir Qaimi and Umar Qureshi.

Published in Dawn March 23rd , 2015

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