HYDERABAD: A senior Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader, Dr Salim Danish, who served the party as its United Kingdom organiser and a member of its London coordination committee, arrived in Karachi at 4am on Wednesday, lending credence to reports that he may be chosen as the mayor of Hyderabad.

Soon after arriving in Karachi, Dr Danish drove to Hyderabad, his hometown from where he was first elected as a member of the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation in 1987. Aftab Ahmed Shaikh became the mayor and Rasheed Ahmed Khan the deputy mayor following the election process in that year.

In Hyderabad, Dr Danish met his party’s zonal in-charge Naveed Shamsi and zonal committee members. His nomination form for a labour seat in the HMC had already been filled late on Tuesday night and submitted with returning officer Attaullah Nohrio, the additional deputy commissioner-I. Dr Danish left for Karachi in the evening.

An MQM leader in Karachi who until late Tuesday night was reluctant to comment on reports of Dr Danish’s return from London was able to say on Wednesday evening that “yes, there are strong chances of his [Dr Danish’s] becoming the mayor of Hyderabad”.

A source wishing to remain anonymous said that “when London [the MQM international secretariat] is sending someone from the UK to contest on a seat of councillor, it doesn’t mean he will work as a councillor”.

The MQM had earlier considered the names of former MNAs Tayyab Hussain and Salahuddin, Sohail Mashhadi, Abid Ghauri, Zafar Rajput and some other leaders for the slots of Hyderabad mayor and deputy mayor.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2016