Political chairs: Change in the air for the MQM again

Sources claim that Amir Khan might head the Rabita Committee in Karachi

KARACHI: For the fourth time since 2013, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement's policy making body, the Rabita Committee, went through a major change on Monday when two men running the committee in Karachi and London were dismissed.

According to party officials, the committee's in-charge in Karachi, Qamar Mansoor, was removed because several MQM workers had complained about his behaviour towards them.

Meanwhile, 4,000 miles away in London, Irshad Hussain was also removed from his post as the in-charge of the London Rabita Committee.

According to a press release issued by the party, Mustafa Azizabadi has been made in-charge of the committee while Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Dr Nusrat Shaukat and Amir Khan will jointly lead the committee in Karachi.

Who's who

Irshad and Mansoor had been appointed to lead the committee by MQM chief Altaf Hussain in December 2014. The party chief had suspended the then committee for their failure to have an appropriate response to the murder of party leader, Bao Muhammad Anwar, in Sialkot.

According to party leaders, Mansoor, who had previously been a member of the central information committee before being appointed as the in-charge of the Rabita Committee, will continue to work for the party. He had also been suspended from the party last year in August for misbehaving with journalists at an event.

You're dismissed

In May 2013, Altaf Hussain was displeased with the party for failing to secure 'young voters.' He dismissed the committee, including senior leaders such as Anis Qaimkhani, Farooq Sattar, Nasreen Jalil, Mustafa Kamal and replaced them with Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Nasir Jamal and Dr Nusrat.

Since then, the committee has been through several changes. More than a year later on July 20, Rabita Committee members were suspended again by the party chief for failing to perform their duties at Nine Zero, the MQM headquarters. They were, however, reinstated a few hours later after they apologised to Hussain.

The MQM chief has been quite upset with his party, said sources, adding that he has been angry as party leaders did not consult him before pledging support to the Pakistan Protection Ordinance.

Making a comeback?

Sources claim that Amir Khan will be given more responsibility in the future. Khan, left the MQM in the early 1990s and went on to form the Mohajir Qaumi Movement- Haqiqi (MQM-H) with Afaq Ahmed. A few years later he formed his own faction.

In 2011, however, he rejoined the MQM soon after his release from jail. Khan, it is claimed, has been handling affairs at Nine Zero for the last couple of months. His role has not been acknowledged publicly as yet as workers and leaders have reservations.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd, 2015.