LONDON: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain, once again, announced he was stepping down from the party leadership on Sunday, only to withdraw the decision within hours. He took back the decision "on the insistence of party workers".

MQM's top leadership had earlier opted to resign from the Rabita Committee in a bid to bring Altaf back to the party. A large number of party workers and leaders had gathered at the MQM headquarters in Karachi to express solidarity with their party leader, in a successful bid to get him to withdraw his decision.

In a telephonic address to his charged supporters outside MQM headquarters Nine Zero, Hussain said, "Once again, I'm agreeing to my supporters' wishes."

Last year, Altaf Hussain had announced his resignation, only to withdraw his decision after a few hours, on the insistence of party workers.

In his message to the party earlier on Sunday, the MQM Chief stated he had failed to play his role effectively. He also lambasted the Rabita Committee whom he claimed were ignoring his advice on key issues.

“I asked the [Rabita] Committee to keep their ways straight...but they didn't. Now they are free to choose their leader,” he said. Later MQM leader Farooq Sattar, while talking to media, listed the "faults and mistakes" of the Rabita Committee, and had sought Altaf's return to the party.

As a result of the internal crisis, the MQM Central Coordination Committee has sent in resignations from Parliament of its seven senators, 51 provincial and 24 national assembly members to Altaf Hussain, with a message stating “we admit our mistakes", and that it was up to the MQM Chief to now decide for any further course of action.