LONDON: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain in a statement on Wednesday said he has handed over party affairs to the Coordination Committee, a day after senior party leaders had sidelined their London-based supremo.

A statement shared on Twitter by MQM spokesman Wasay Jalil says:

"Keeping in view statements made by MQM leader Farooq Sattar and other MQM members, I hand over powers of reorganisation, policy making and decision making to the Rabita Committee."

Take a look: Farooq Sattar sidelines Altaf: 'MQM will operate only from Pakistan'

"I will continue to focus on improving my health in line with the Coordination Committee's suggestions," Hussain said.

The MQM chief claimed he was "under acute stress" due to back-to-back 'incidents', upsetting news and working on party business day and night.

The party chief also apologised for hurting the sentiments of Pakistanis due to his earlier anti-Pakistan remarks.

'Altaf not taken into confidence'

Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Khwaja Izahrul Hassan while speaking to DawnNews on Tuesday said that the MQM supremo and other party party leadership in London were not consulted prior to holding Tuesday's press conference.

During a press conference at Karachi Press Club on Tuesday, Farooq Sattar announced: "From now onwards, decisions will be made in Pakistan. This message is for the London office as well as for Pakistan office-bearers; something which the Quaid won’t disagree with."

Dawn reported that Sattar, after being released from Rangers custody, spoke to party leaders, lawmakers, including some of those who were abroad, as well as the London-based members of the coordination committee, and communicated his decision to disown Hussain’s statement and take over the MQM.

Altaf Hussain has been running the day-to-day organisational affairs of the party over phone from the confines of his palatial London residence and the international secretariat for a long time, although he does not hold any office in the MQM, which is a political party registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan in the name of Dr Farooq Sattar.