Back to the base: Ali Raza Abidi rejoins MQM-Pakistan

KARACHI: Former Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leader Ali Raza Abidi rejoined the party on Friday.

"All the disgruntled members should fulfil their responsibility just like I did," Abidi said. 

While addressing a news conference at Abidi's residence, MQM-P chief Farooq Sattar said he did not go to anybody's house, but only came to Abidi's house. "It was very essential for me to give a chance to Ali Raza Abidi."  

Abidi announced quitting the party, after the MQM-P and Pak Sarzameen Party 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. However, the alliance turned out to be short-lived.

The sources have claimed that Sattar will also announce to induct Abidi into the party’s central decision-making section, Raabita Committee.

A day after the announcement of an alliance with the PSP at the Karachi Press Club, Sattar remarked: "We were left disappointed. Kamal agreed to unite with me and in front of me he said that MQM belongs to its founder."

"MQM belonged to its founder till August 22, 2016. Even then, MQM was the party of muhajirs and the oppressed.”

Sattar also spoke against the tone Kamal used in the press conference. “Your purpose was to highlight the point of the alliance but you went on speaking against MQM. You said that you can’t hold talks with MQM. Then, I want to ask you, who else have you been talking to then?”

"In the press conference, PSP leaders only spoke against MQM," he remarked, adding "I was the only one speaking about pursuing non-violent politics and ensuring security of the country."

He remarked: "You can make PSP, you can make Haqiqi, you can keep any name for the party, but how can you forget your martyrs and their sacrifices?"

'Sattar requested establishment to bring us to the table'

PSP Founder Mustafa Kamal began his press conference on Saturday stating that he will comment on the "drama over the last two days", referring to the allegations by Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) chief Farooq Sattar.

Kamal said in a press conference at Pakistan House that he met with Sattar because the latter had requested the establishment to bring the two to the table.