KARACHI: Two days before the first anniversary of the Aug 22, 2016 events, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan chief Dr Farooq Sattar has declared that his party will never yield to pressure to merge itself with any other group.

“We will never accept disbanding of the MQM-Pakistan or an option to form another party,” Dr Sattar said at a party meeting held here on Sunday. “We will never bow to pressure regarding disbanding the party or merger [with someone else]."

Sources said for the past one year — when Dr Sattar ousted MQM founder Altaf Hussain following his Aug 22, 2016 incendiary speech and took reins of the party — the party had been under immense pressure to merge either with the Mustafa Kamal-led Pak Sarzameen Party or form another political party to completely dissociate themselves from even the shadows of Mr Hussain.

Afaq, others invited to MPC planned for tomorrow.

They said that Dr Sattar’s assertion came against the backdrop of a renewed demand by certain quarters following a video circulated on social media that showed masked men burning Pakistan flags on Independence Day.

The MQM-P had already condemned the incident and said their patriotism should not be questioned or affected by others’ deeds.

A senior MQM-P leader, Amin-ul-Haq, told Dawn that the party decided to hold a multi-party conference (MPC) on Aug 22 (tomorrow) to deliberate upon “conspiracies against the solidarity of Pakistan, elimination of corruption and empowered local governments”.

He said the MQM-P would for the first time invited Mohajir Qaumi Movement chief Afaq Ahmed in the MPC to be held at a local hotel.

He also confirmed that an invitation would also be extended to the PSP, Jamaat-i-Islami, PPP, PML-N and Awami National Party. “We have already sent an invitation to the PTI,” he added.

“It is necessary to expose those who incite a few people [to burn the national flag],” said a source, without naming Mr Hussain, about the actual aim of the MPC.

According to a statement issued on Sunday, a meeting of the MQM was held at its temporary headquarters in Bahadurabad. Dr Sattar presided over the meeting, which was also attended by senior leader Aamir Khan, members of the coordination committee and others discussed the domestic political situation.

The meeting finalised a plan to hold a three-point “multi-party conference” at a local hotel on Aug 22 and decided to invite all political, religious and nationalist parties.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Sattar regretted that despite pledging allegiance to the motherland and bringing their politics to the national mainstream “we are being accused of having links with [MQM] London”.

He said that some elements could take advantage of the problems of workers and leaders of the party either by force or by money, but “we need to maintain our unity”.

He said that any option to either abandon the MQM-P or form some other party would be unacceptable. He said that any suggestion regarding merging the MQM-P with any other party of group would never be accepted.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2017