Deadlock: PMA factions fight for legitimacy
“We ask the government not to recognise that group and to impose a ban on them,” said Dr Ali, general secretary Sindh of PMA, at a press conference on Thursday. He presented the audience with the court order and was accompanied by Dr Lala Jaffar, Dr Gulzar Jumani and Dr Abid Qaimkhani.
The schisms between the two groups manifested themselves when the PMA called elections in April 2011 and Dr Jatoi, who had been blamed for not allowing the elections since 2000, objected. The war of words continued until Dr Samrina Hashmi, who was elected as the provincial president of PMA in April 2011, joined Dr Jatoi’s group this year. Subsequently, another election was held on April 8, 2012, by Dr Jatoi’s faction and it elected Dr Hashmi as president and Dr Jatoi as general secretary. As expected, Dr Ali’s group boycotted the elections and termed them as illegal since their body was elected for two years till April 2013.
In the interim, the two groups continued to litigate suits against each other to claim legitimacy and one brought orders to vindicate themselves. He claimed that Dr Hashmi’s basic membership in Karachi was cancelled as she indulged in the embezzlement of funds collected for the relief of flood affected people.
Meanwhile, Dr Shakil Qureshi, of Dr Jatoi’s faction, said that though they respected the court and its judgment, they planned to hold a meeting to decide what to do next. Dr Qureshi was elected as president during the April 2012 elections but his tenure was slated to begin after Hashmi’s ended in April 2013.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 13th, 2012.
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