Ali Raza Abidi hands in resignation from MQM-P 'due to personal reasons'

E-Paper | May 01, 2026

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader and former member of the National Assembly (MNA) Ali Raza Abidi has tendered in his resignation from the party's "basic membership", it emerged on Sunday.

Abidi shared his resignation letter, addressed to party's convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, on Twitter. In the letter, he cited "personal reasons" for leaving the party.

His resignation comes ahead of the by-elections due to take place in Karachi's NA-243 constituency next month where Abidi had contested the 2018 general elections against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

PM Khan, who had won five NA seats, has retained NA-95 (Mianwali) and vacated NA-35 (Bannu), NA-53 (Islamabad), NA-131 (Lahore) and NA-243 (Karachi).

By-elections will take place in 37 constituencies for both national and the provincial assemblies’ seats on October 14.

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Imtiaz Ali is a Karachi-based reporter for Dawn with over 25 years of experience in the field. His reporting portfolio encompasses crime, politics, and the provincial legislature, alongside coverage of the courts, government affairs, and the health sector.

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Old News

Sep 02, 2018 06:58pm

Joining PTI for re-election

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Optimist

Sep 02, 2018 07:05pm

Dr. Khalid Maqbool should immediately accept his resignation. There are enough party workers in Karachi city of 2.5 billion people

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Omar

Sep 02, 2018 07:07pm

He realized that party is over.

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Anti-Corruption_Pakistani

Sep 02, 2018 07:28pm

Is it a personal or political reason for resignation?

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Copper

Sep 02, 2018 07:49pm

He did earlier too .. a Serial "Resigner" !

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blockheads

Sep 02, 2018 07:52pm

didn't i say yesterday this story woud be written?! ahah

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M. Saeed

Sep 02, 2018 08:03pm

But Party had terminated his membership in Dec. 2016?

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zeeshandxb

Sep 02, 2018 08:05pm

who cares? they could have kept it private. media pressure wont work for mqm anymore.

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Zulfiqar

Sep 02, 2018 08:14pm

Very Soon, he will join PTI.

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Amjad Durrani Engineer USA

Sep 02, 2018 08:16pm

The MQM stands deprived of its firebrand leader further eroding party’s effectiveness in Sind, particularly Karachi’s politics where it calling the shots, was a kingmaker in the past. It is for sure that this experienced politician, once disliked for his provoking style, to join PTI to bring needed flesh and fire power to its politics in Sind province under stranglehold of rival PPP. Things are fast changing politically for PPP and in coming days it may find loosing space to others which may be welcomed by those suffering masses who remained helpless and deprived for want of alleviation to their teething day to day problems, be it water scarcity, living conditions, education and health and others decades together.

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Abdul Rahim

Sep 02, 2018 08:23pm

In few days he will join PTI

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Hammad Ather

Sep 02, 2018 08:53pm

The spelling of Convener is incorrect.

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Uza Syed

Sep 02, 2018 09:19pm

You picked up very unfortunate moment to prove whatever you are trying to prove, this could have waited another while. You could achieve for your folks much more by supporting this alliance with PTI than you did in your entire political life so far or can do in future. Sad.

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Adyala

Sep 02, 2018 09:40pm

Let me guess, he didn’t get the ticket for NA243.

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Wali

Sep 02, 2018 10:13pm

Good handwriting.

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Magnanimous approach

Sep 02, 2018 10:27pm

Thank you Mr Raza Ali Abidi, you should have earlier resigned.

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StraightForward

Sep 02, 2018 11:38pm

Old darama with new actors !

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Parvez

Sep 03, 2018 12:01am

....but his biryani is top class.

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WARSI

Sep 03, 2018 12:01am

Abdi Saheb please work for Mohajir Sooba. We will stand with you.

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Ali

Sep 03, 2018 12:04am

He is an honorable man, who is respected highly for the principled stance he took in difficult circumstances during the course of last three years.

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Sab Se Pehle Pakistan

Sep 03, 2018 01:12am

Ali Raza Abidi is an intellectual. Good decision to leave MQM Bahadurabad/PIB (Haqiqi3) as they are nothing but a newer version of many Haqiqi's which enjoys absolute no support from masses. Everyone knows where the support and hearts of Urban Sindh lies but we choose to live in denial. When we refuse to learn from our previous mistakes then there is nothing we can do about it.

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Asad

Sep 03, 2018 09:38am

MQM has lost credibility once they appointed Waseem Akhtar as head in local government, sooner they kick him out better for them to have some acceptance in masses.

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Khan Pakistani USA

Sep 03, 2018 05:58pm

Good for him !

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