Sattar eyes Muhajir coalition as elections near

Coalition will contest next general elections under single banner

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Farooq Sattar is set to organise an all-parties conference (APC) on the formation of a Muhajir Ittehad soon.

Sattar told Express News that a date for the conference will be announced soon. He rejected reports of the move being undertaken as part of a conspiracy.

The alliance is slated to be a loose coalition of parties playing the Muhajir card. While constituent parties will not merge, the coalition will contest the next general elections under a single banner.



Sattar will be holding meetings with MQM-P Bahadurabad chief Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) leaders Mustafa Kamal and Anis Kaimkhawani, Muhajir Qaumi Movement chairman Afaq Ahmed and Muhajir Ittehad Tehrik chairman Salim Haider on this account.

Sattar's new strategy is representative of how the MQM-P is once again cultivating the Muhajir vote bank.

Sources said the MQM-P leader has chalked out the strategy in consultation with political aides "He has decided to play his latest innings before the elections. The reported development follows in the wake of repeated statements by Sattar on how a united Muhajir front will contest the elections, a source said.

The MQM-P has seen its fortunes wane of late with many leaders jumping ship. A prominent majority have gone on to joining forces with Kamal.

Poor party discipline has left both, MQM-P Bahadurabad and PIB leaders perturbed. Party workers are said to be dejected, uncertain about their fortunes as the PSP, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) move to occupy space ceded by a divided MQM-P.

"Farooq Sattar's formula is a continuation of his 2017 plan of uniting the MQM-P and PSP. The initiative failed after being opposed by Amir Khan and other leaders," an MQM-P leader told Express News. "The planned move stoked differences among Khan and Sattar which led to a split in the MQM-P," he added.



No MQM-P splinter group has secured a foothold and it is speculated that the plan will meet the same fate. It is unlikely that the initiative will succeed.