KARACHI: After holding meetings with Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Senator Faisal Vawda on Sunday called on the leadership of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and held discussion pertaining to the country’s overall political situation.

The meeting took place at MQM-P temporary headquarters in Bahadurabad between the senator and Muttahida chairman Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Mustafa Kamal, Aminul Haq and others.

Senator Vawda was elected to the upper house of the parliament as an independent candidate with the support of the MQM-P and Pakistan Peoples Party.

Flanked by MQM-P leader, he told reporters that he was reaching out to every single political party to build consensus on national issues.

He alleged that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf was using its civil disobedience call as a tactic to influence legal proceedings against former ISI chief retired Lt Gen Faiz Hameed.

He emphasised the need to respect the mandate of all political parties, including the PTI, and warned that Pakistan could not afford more unrest, protests, or injustices.

He criticised the alleged mismanagement of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s chief minister, saying that “lawlessness would not be tolerated”.

Senator Vawda claimed that the PTI’s call for civil disobedience was strategically timed to coincide with the proceedings of Faiz Hameed’s case, though he suggested that the hearing might begin sooner than expected.

Mustafa Kamal praised Mr Vawda as a “one-man army” working to bring together Pakistan’s political forces.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2024