KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and the Grand Democratic Alliance have agreed to cooperate with each other in the July 25 elections on certain constituencies of Sindh.

A GDA delegation headed by Pakistan Muslim League-Functional leader Pir Sadruddin Shah Rashdi visited the MQM-P’s Bahadurabad headquarters and met party convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, said a statement issued on Tuesday.

The GDA side was also represented by Sardar Rahim and Nand Kumar and the MQM-P team comprised of Faisal Subzwari, Amir Khan and Aslam Bhutto.

The statement said the GDA and the MQM-P decided in principle to cooperate with each other on different national and provincial assembly seats in Sindh. However, modalities in this regard would be worked out in further meetings, it added.

MQM-P says ‘pressure’ easing off

The MQM-P said that many of its former workers who had switched sides because of “pressure” had returned to the party fold.

Speaking at a press conference here, party convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui claimed that “people are returning to the MQM as pressure has eased off.

“We are waiting for our remaining colleagues [who left the party] and very soon they will be among us again,” he said. No known faces were among the many workers who rejoined the party.

MQM-P leader Faisal Subzwari said on the occasion that those who had returned today had been forced to join the Pak Sarzameen Party.

Javed Hanif arrest

While Dr Siddiqui disclosed that pressure had eased off, Mr Subzwari saw a “conspiracy” in the arrest of retired bureaucrat Javed Hanif, who is also an MQM-P election candidate, by the National Accountability Bureau.

He said that the decision to arrest Mr Hanif was made only when he decided to contest the polls from the MQM-P’s platform. “We condemn his arrest ... his only crime was to give employment to Karachi’s youth.”

Dr Siddiqui said that the Pakistan Peoples Party had given “bogus employment” during its 10-year rule in Sindh, but no action had so far been taken against them for destroying government institutions.

He appealed to the army chief and the chief justice of Pakistan to take notice of Mr Hanif’s arrest.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2018