KARACHI: Welcoming two new entrants to his party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan head Dr Farooq Sattar has expressed the hope that his party will be given a legitimate space in coming days and its offices, which have been sealed for the past several months, will be returned to it.

Speaking at a press conference held at the MQM’s temporary headquarters in PIB Colony on Friday, Dr Sattar congratulated former Pakistan Muslim League-Functional leader Kamran Tessori and Dr Jahanzeb Mughal for joining his party in what he called “testing times”.

He said that the MQM had showed to the world its unity by holding a big public meeting in Nishtar Park on Dec 30, 2016.

“People have supported us and now I believe we will be given legitimate space, our [sealed] offices would be returned and there will be some arrangement of the recovery of our missing workers in the days to come,” he said.

Kamran Tessori and Dr Jahanzeb Mughal join Muttahida

It has been over five months that the offices of the MQM, including its Nine Zero headquarters and Khurshid Memorial Secretariat, were sealed following the Aug 22 incendiary speech of party founder Altaf Hussain.

On Aug 23, 2016 Dr Sattar had announced taking over the MQM and dissociated himself from the London-based supremo and his secretariat. Since then the MQM has been divided into two factions — Dr Sattar-led MQM-Pakistan and MQM-London — besides the former Karachi mayor Mustafa Kamal-led Pak Sarzameen Party.

Accompanied by Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar and other leaders, Dr Sattar said the mayor must be given powers in accordance with the spirit of Article 140-A of the Constitution.

Dr Sattar, who is also the parliamentary party leader of the MQM in the National Assembly, hoped that the Constitution and law would be followed in letter and spirit in carrying out raids and arrests of MQM workers.

He also highlighted the need for a fair and transparent population census and said that it was necessary for the future of Pakistan.

Welcoming the two new entrants into the party fold, he said that both Mr Tessori and Dr Mughal showed faith in “positive politics of the MQM” by joining it.

Mr Tessori, who quit the PML-F, and Dr Mughal, who runs a charity hospital in the city, said that only the MQM understood the problems of Karachi and there was a need to work jointly for resolving the long-standing problems of the metropolis.

Mr Tessori said he had been associated with a major political party of Sindh but he decided to join the Muttahida because of the ‘ill-treatment’ being meted out to the people of Karachi and the MQM.

A major problem that the MQM was facing at present was related to its ‘missing’ workers, he said, adding that all-out efforts must be made for their recovery.

Dr Mughal, who lives in Karachi but originally hails from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said people from all walks of life despite their reservations admitted that it was only the Muttahida that truly understood the problems of Karachi and the way to solve them.

He asked those who quit the MQM to forget and forgive the past deeds and return to the party fold in order to work jointly for the betterment of the city.

Earlier, MQM leaders and workers welcomed the duo upon their arrival at PIB headquarters.

Published in Dawn February 4th, 2017