KARACHI: The PIB group of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan elected on Monday MNA Dr Farooq Sattar as the convener of its new coordination committee as a result of Sunday’s intra-party election in which he obtained over 9,000 votes.

Internal differences within the MQM-P over distribution of party tickets for the upcoming Senate elections led to a split as the party was divided into two groups.

Dr Sattar’s opponents, commonly called Bahadurabad group, ousted him from the post of convener and as a result Dr Sattar in a workers’ convention dissolved the coordination committee and announced intra-party election that was held on Sunday.

Talking to reporters, Dr Sattar said that the new 35-member coordination committee in its first meeting held at his residence elected him as its convener.

Criticising the Bahadurabad group for not reciprocating his goodwill gesture, he regretted the “non-political” attitude of Kanwar Naveed Jameel and Amir Khan who said Dr Sattar would be treated as a simple worker if he came to Bahadurabad.

“I was going to Bahadurabad with open mind but they blocked me and gave a clear message that we are not one,” he said.

Later, he along with his coordination committee went to Shuhada graveyard in Yasinabad and offered fateha for those workers and supporters who lost their lives over the years.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2018