KARACHI: Former president retired General Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday called for unity among various factions of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) “because the party is the only political force [in Sindh] that can challenge the Pakistan Peoples Party which failed miserably to deliver” during its two tenures in government.

The chief of the All Pakistan Muslim League was responding to a question put to him during a press conference in Dubai about the possible formation of an alliance also including the MQM-Pakistan and Pak Sarzameen Party before the general elections next year. Gen Musharraf is said to be trying to form an alliance that would be working against both the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the PPP.

“MQM is the only urban party in Sindh,” he said. “The situation in Sindh is different when compared to Punjab and other provinces. There, only a political force like the MQM can defeat the PPP.

“For that, I believe all factions of this party should get united and they should drop their decades-old ethnic ideology. The MQM should be ... a national party which represents people from all ethnic backgrounds.”

Earlier, he shared details of his meeting with Sahibzada Hamid Raza of the Sunni Ittehad Council, who called on him to discuss a possible alliance of different factions of the Pakistan Muslim League with other opposition parties.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2017