Farooq Sattar approaches IHC against ECP decision to remove him as MQM-P convener

Sattar maintains that he was illegally removed as party head on February 11

ISLAMABAD: Former convener and party leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) decision to remove him as party convener.

In the petition filed, Sattar maintains that he was 'illegally' removed as the party head on February 11 by members of MQM-P's Central Coordination Committee (CCC). "The said illegal removal was confirmed by the learned ECP in its March 26 order," the petition read.

PHOTO: EXPRESS

The petition reinstates the entire inter-party rift, the inter-party elections and how they were suspended, the instances in which the CCC refused to cooperate with Sattar. The petition also addresses the issue of Senate tickets of the MQM-P and their distribution among members.



Ruling in favour of Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday removed Dr Farooq Sattar as convener of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM-P).

The ECP ruled on petitions filed against Sattar in the wake of a rift within the party over the nomination of Kamran Tessori for a Senate seat. This controversy over Tessori practically divided the party into Sattar-led PIB group and Siddiqui-led Bahadurabad group.

The Bahadurabad faction later filed petitions in the ECP, seeking removal of Sattar as convener with the argument that the party’s Rabita Committee had replaced him with Siddiqui by a two-thirds majority. It also challenged the February 18 intra-party polls which Sattar had won by a heavy margin.

In his reply to the petitions, Sattar had challenged the ECP jurisdiction in intra-party matters and asked it to dismiss the petitions filed against him.