The Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan (MQM-P) and Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) have decided to regroup with “one name, one symbol and one manifesto”, a year after the two political factions announced complete disassociation from their former leadership based in London.
Announcing their decision at a joint press conference on Wednesday, MQM-P Chief Farooq Sattar and PSP Chairman Mustafa Kamal said they had decided to do away with their differences to ensure that the vote bank from Sindh and Karachi is not divided.
“We will contest the upcoming elections under one name and symbol,” Sattar said at the press conference, sitting alongside Kamal at the Karachi Press Club.
“We have decided to form a political alliance for the betterment of all,” Sattar said, adding that the political alliance is the need of Karachi, Sindh, and Pakistan.
The MQM-P chief said the new name and electoral symbol, under which the newly-formed alliance will contest the general elections, will be mutually decided in meetings to be held between the leadership of the two parties in the coming days.
Sattar added that it is the duty of the party’s leadership to take its workers onboard with the decision as they want to return “Karachi’s government to the city”.
He dismissed politics of confrontation, stating that the two parties “don’t want politics of confrontation to be encouraged in this city [Karachi]” and requested workers of both parties to play their part in working towards their common goal.
“We should ensure that Karachi never faces the kind of political violence it witnessed in the past.”
“We seek a good working relationship and a political alliance with each other, and this is what we wanted to talk to you all about,” added Sattar.
“PSP and MQM had been deliberating these points in the recent past. We need good statesmanship at this juncture. To this end, we need a positive and combined effort,” said the MQM-P leader.
Regarding missing workers, the leader of MQM-P said the process of recovering them should move forward and appealed that the party’s offices, which are legally its property, be reopened.
About the recently conducted census, Sattar said it is the wish of the party to ensure that Karachi’s citizens are counted properly and represented.
He also thanked the workers and supporters of the party for making MQM-P’s November 5 rally a success.
