Arshad Vohra may not resign as deputy mayor

PSP trying to bring no-confidence motion against mayor in city council

KARACHI: After having joined the Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP), Dr Arshad Vohra is not likely to surrender his post of Karachi deputy mayor.

"He is not in a rush to resign from the post. We are considering different options as lots of city council members are with us, which can change the situation in the house," a PSP leader said requesting anonymity. He added that with the support of opposition members, the PSP supporters in the city council can bring a no-confidence motion against Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar, who will then lose the majority in the house.

The city council of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation comprises 308 members. Currently the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) enjoys comfortable majority in the house with 205 members, while the strength of the opposition is 100, which includes 42 members of the Pakistan Peoples Party, 27 of Pakistan Muslim League - N, 14 of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, 10 of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), four of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam - Fazl and three of Awami National Party. Three seats in the council are vacant.  A simple majority is needed to de-seat the mayor.



The PSP leader claimed that two district municipal corporations' chairperson and around 60 council members have assured the PSP of their support and the party could move a no-confidence motion against the mayor with the support of the opposition.

However, the MQM-Pakistan calls such plans a joke maintaining that no party can challenge their mandate in the council. "As per his earlier announcement, [Dr Vohra] should tender resignation because his is MQM-Pakistan's seat, otherwise legal action would be taken against him," MQM-Pakistan Convener Dr Farooq Sattar said, adding that his party is considering different options and will soon announce its line of action.   Dr Sattar, however, did not clarify whether his party would fulfil its pledge to resign from assemblies and Senate. Last week, the MQM-Pakistan leadership had warned that their party members would resign en mass from legislative bodies if any other of their members is shifted to the other camp by invisible hands.

Unlike the national and provincial assemblies, there is no legal provision for the local bodies which allows for action against the elected representatives who have changed their loyalties. In the parliament and provincial assemblies, the political parties can approach the Election Commission of Pakistan seeking disqualification of the member who changed loyalty, but there is no single word pertaining to floor-crossing in the Sindh Local Government Act 2013. "A member shall be removed if he or she is guilty of misconduct, [including] bribery, corruption, jobbery, favouritism [and] nepotism, or has   absented himself without reasonable cause [in] three consecutive ordinary meetings of the Council," reads the law in the paragraph pertaining to disqualification.



Talking to The Express Tribune, Dr Vohra commented, "I have been elected chairman from UC 49. People have voted for me, so I am consulting my party leaders and law experts on it".  He hesitated to confirm if he would resign as he had announced in the press conference on Sunday. When his attention was drawn to his earlier announcement about resignation, he said, "There are some legal formalities, so I have to follow it before stepping down".

Meanwhile, PSP leader Wasim Aftab said that the chapter of Altaf Hussain has been closed in Pakistan and Dr Sattar has forcibly occupied the MQM. There is no compulsion on Dr Vohra to resign from his seat, he added. "The resignation of only three MQM MPAs who joined us has so far been accepted. The resignations of many MPAs and MNAs who joined our camp are still pending, so it will be premature to say that Vohra Bhai will resign."

The PSP is also optimistic about future inclusion of more MQM-Pakistan members in its ranks. Sources privy to the development told The Express Tribune that not only local bodies' representatives, but also many MPAs and MNAs belonging to the MQM-Pakistan have been sidelined for quite some time and they have developed backdoor contacts with the Mustafa Kamal-led party.  "Wait and see, some prominent figures will also join us soon," a PSP leader said adding that there is a long list of aspirants, but they are careful in selecting them  because of some compulsion.



On the other side, some opposition parties stated that they would welcome the no-confidence motion against the mayor.

"Though it is not possible, because PSP, MQM-Pakistan and MQM-London are two sides of the same coin, it will be a lighter moment for us if the mayor losses his mandate," said Junaid Makati, the JI leader in the city council.