ISLAMABAD: Two days before his retirement as senator, parliamentary leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) in the upper house of parliament retired Col Tahir Hussain Mashhadi announced quitting the party.

Besides being elected twice to the house on the MQM ticket, Col Mashhadi also served as the Town Nazim of Jamshed Town, Karachi.

In a statement on Friday, he said he was proud to have represented the most patriotic, sane and tolerant electorate known as Muhajirs in the Senate.

Citing the reason for his resignation, Col Mashhadi said the recent attitude of the Rabita Committee of the MQM-P had caused an immense loss to the party during the recent Senate polls, reflecting the committee members’ “ego, selfishness and stubbornness”.

He said that whatever happened had badly affected the representation of Sindh’s urban population in the upper house.

He said the attitude of the Rabita Committee members had destroyed the basic structure of the party.

“It (the Rabita Committee) caused irreparable loss to the public mandate, unity and mutual trust. The entire Rabita Committee proved that it does not meet the trust and loyalty reposed in it by the electorate,” he said.

He alleged that the Rabita Committee members used the mandate for minting money and achieving power and indulged in infighting. “I cannot see the power of urban Sindh (MQM) and the mandate of the people being childishly destroyed,” he said, adding that now he had completely disassociated himself from the party.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2018