THE continuing fissures in the MQM appear to have claimed yet another victim. On Wednesday, after 14 long years at Karachi’s Governor House, Ishratul Ibad found himself preparing to vacate the palatial colonial-era mansion to make way for Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui, a former chief justice of Pakistan. In his long innings, the outgoing Sindh governor weathered many a political storm, retaining his post despite several changes in Islamabad. Appointed in the Musharraf era, he kept his job during the PPP’s rule and a large part of the current PML-N tenure. Perhaps the secret to Mr Ibad’s longevity lies in his masterly and pragmatic conduct of politics; he served as mediator between political parties and also between politicians and the establishment. Originally a dedicated MQM man, holding high elected and party offices on behalf of the Muttahida, over the years the governor’s ties with the party — particularly its unpredictable supremo Altaf Hussain — became more and more tenuous. In fact, in an outburst last year, Mr Hussain publicly excommunicated Mr Ibad from the MQM. Considering the factional crises currently afflicting the Muttahida, Mr Ibad’s departure appears to be a natural outcome of these problems.

Seemingly, the first sign of real trouble came last month, when Pak Sarzameen Party chief Mustafa Kamal — who also owes his political origins to the MQM — launched a vitriolic attack against Ishratul Ibad, accusing him of ‘corruption’ and of serving Mr Hussain’s interests. Mr Ibad responded to the stinging allegations in kind and after a second salvo fired by Mr Kamal, the matter appeared to be buried. However, while many would say that a new governor was long due in Sindh, it would be interesting to know if this nasty exchange — together with disagreement over how to control Karachi’s politics among the powers that be — was responsible for the change of guard. After all, apart from Mr Ibad’s reported association with the establishment, Mr Kamal was also alleged to have been launched by non-political ‘scriptwriters’. The days ahead will tell what shape Ishratul Ibad’s political ambitions take. Certainly, the new Sindh governor does not have the political background of his predecessor, though Mr Siddiqui is considered close to the PML-N. However, he will have to maintain a fine balance between the political and establishment actors that have influence over Sindh’s politics, particularly the affairs that govern its metropolitan capital — indeed, a delicate and challenging task.

Published in Dawn November 10th, 2016