Experts see reunion of MQM factions in Pakistan's Sindh as 'merger of fear'

Senior members of splinter groups of the erstwhile Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party speak during a press conference in Karachi on January 12, 2023. (Photo courtesy: social media)
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Updated 13 January 2023
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Experts see reunion of MQM factions in Pakistan's Sindh as 'merger of fear'

  • Farooq Sattar-led faction and the Pak Sarzameen Party on Tuesday announced merging into MQM-Pakistan
  • Analysts, ex-member say these factions came together, fearing for their ‘political survival’ in next elections

KARACHI: Experts on Friday called reunification of splinter groups of the erstwhile Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party a "merger of fear," days after the Pak Sarzameen Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) factions came together following a significant drop in their votes in the last few elections. 

Founded by Altaf Hussain in 1984, the MQM had won the hearts of the urban, middle-class people in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi and secured nine out of 11 National Assembly seats in the seaside metropolis in the 1988 general polls, in which the party had fielded its candidates as independents. The party grew in the southern Sindh province and performed exceptionally well in four out of five elections until 2013 and claimed at one point to have "80 percent" public mandate in Karachi — a bustling megapolis of more than 15 million people and the commercial hub of Pakistan. 

But the coming years were the toughest for the party, often accused of resorting to violence to suppress opposition and involvement in crime, after its self-exiled supremo, Hussain, delivered a controversial speech against the country in August 2016, having been frustrated over a loss of votes to former premier Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and a targeted operation in the city against militants.  

The speech forced colleagues and supporters of Hussain, who has been living in London since the 1990s, to distance themselves and the party from him. Dr. Farooq Sattar, one of the top MQM figures, saved the party by disowning Hussain and having it registered under his name as MQM-Pakistan. But Sattar's differences with another senior member, Aamir Khan, led to a split in the party and the formation the PIB and Bahadurabad factions. Sattar was eventually expelled from the MQM-P, which is controlled by the Bahadurabad faction. 

Months before Hussain’s speech, former Karachi mayor Mustafa Kamal along with Anees Qaimkhani, a former MQM member who is considered an expert on organizational matters, launched their own faction of the MQM, the Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP). While the MQM-P won 6 six out 21 seats in Karachi in the 2018 elections after losing majority of seats to Khan's PTI, the PSP failed miserably in the polls as it lacked public support.  

On Tuesday, both Sattar and PSP's Kamal announced merging their respective groups in the MQM-P, which currently holds most of the electoral seats. However, experts and former party members don’t expect any major impact of the reunion on Karachi's politics.  

“It is a merger of fear rather than hope,” Raza Haroon, a former provincial minister and an ex-member of the MQM and PSP, told Arab News. 

“These groups have been unable to engage and mobilize the people of urban centers of Sindh, while it’s also reality that the electorate of the original [MQM] wasn’t happy with the divisions and the unceremonious removal of the founder.”  

Haroon said there were multiple factors behind the "fear for survival" of these groups and a successful merger was dependent on the intent of each group. 

“There has been a reduction in the vote bank of Urdu-speaking communities, while these groups were also facing pressure and boycott appeals from London,” Haroon said.  

"In addition to this, their leadership has also remained disillusioned when it came to the narrative for the city." 

The London-based MQM supremo, who still enjoys some public support within the urban centers of Sindh, has often urged supporters to boycott breakaway MQM factions in elections and, according to Haroon, the repeated defeats pushed these factions to merge with each other.  

Mazhar Abbas, a senior political analyst, said the merger of MQM factions was being seen with “suspicious eyes” and its future depended on how they moved forward while overcoming their differences.  

“It’s believed that some people within the establishment, if not the whole establishment, were behind this merger,” Abbas told Arab News. 

“It also depends on how active the Altaf group remains. The future of this [new] group will become clear in the 2023 general elections. These are big names and can become successful, but there are many challenges.” 

Abbas said the political strategy and performance of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and the PTI in urban areas of Sindh, which Karachi is the provincial capital of, will also decide the fate of the merged MQM factions.  

“They are also under pressure to not adopt the organizational structure of the original MQM, which had units, sectors, organizational committees and a coordination committee,” Abbas said. 

"They have been given the message that this old structure is not acceptable."  

The analyst said the new group may have an ad hoc setup immediately. “But the biggest test is that if this party runs by itself or is run,” he added, hinting at the military establishment.  

Pakistan's powerful army has ruled the South Asian country for nearly half of its 75-year history, and even when not in power, it is seen as the invisible guiding hand in the country's politics.  

Abdul Jabbar Nasir, a political commentator and journalist closely covering electoral politics in the Sindh province, said there were multiple factors that forced these factions of the MQM to come together for a "political survival." 

“The rise in support for Altaf Hussain, his successful boycott calls during the last few by-elections, delimitation by the PPP-led Sindh government, presence of strong support of the PTI and the JI gaining its lost ground are the reasons,” he told Arab News.  

Nasir said these factors, coupled with the "external pressure," pushed them to become a single political force. 

“But the question that if this merger will help them get the required results depends on if they are able to make a strong organization, which again is a challenge,” he added. 


Iranian FM arrives in Pakistan to discuss Middle East situation, bilateral ties

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Iranian FM arrives in Pakistan to discuss Middle East situation, bilateral ties

  • Seyed Abbas Araghchi’s visit takes place amid surging regional tensions between Israel and Iran
  • Islamabad, Tehran have had a rocky relationship despite agreements on trade, energy and security 

ISLAMABAD: Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Islamabad on a two-day official visit to hold consultations with the Pakistani leadership on the evolving Middle East situation and discuss bilateral ties with Pakistan, state-run media reported on Tuesday. 

Araghchi was welcomed by Pakistan’s Additional Foreign Secretary (Afghanistan and West Asia) Ambassador Ahmed Naseem Warraich upon his arrival in Islamabad, a foreign office press release said. 

Araghchi’s Islamabad visit takes place after last month’s escalation in hostilities between Iran and Israel, with both countries firing missiles at each other. Israel carried out strikes against Iran on Oct. 26, saying it was responding to missile attacks conducted by Tehran earlier in the month.

Since the deadliest attack in its history on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has been fighting Hamas in Gaza and since late September, it has been at war with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Both Hezbollah and Hamas are allies of Iran. Pakistan, a major ally of Saudi Arabia, shares a long border with Iran.

“Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi arrived here late Monday night on a two-day official visit to hold consultations with Pakistan’s leadership on the situation in the Middle East and bilateral relations,” state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported. 

The APP said Araghchi will meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar during his two-day visit. 

“This visit provides an important opportunity to advance cooperation and dialogue between Pakistan and Iran on a wide range of areas including trade, energy and security,” APP said. 
Pakistan and Iran have had a rocky relationship despite several commercial pacts between the two countries on trade, energy and security. Both countries signed the $7 billion Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project agreement in 2004 but 20 years on, the project remains incomplete. Tehran has completed the pipeline’s construction on its side of the border while Pakistan is seeking a US waiver to go ahead with it due to international sanctions targeting Tehran. 
Pakistan and Iran are also often at odds over instability on their shared porous border, with both countries routinely trading blame for not rooting out militancy.
Tensions surged in January when Pakistan and Iran exchanged airstrikes, both claiming to target alleged militant hideouts in each other’s countries. Late Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi visited Pakistan in April on a three-day visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and easing tensions. The two sides also signed memorandums of understanding in the fields of trade, science technology, agriculture, health, culture, and judicial matters. 


Pakistan reports fresh polio case from Balochistan, taking 2024 tally to 46

Updated 10 min 23 sec ago
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Pakistan reports fresh polio case from Balochistan, taking 2024 tally to 46

  • Poliovirus detected in male child from Killa Saifullah district, says polio eradication program
  • Pakistan’s immunization campaigns suffer from misinformation campaigns and militant attacks

KARACHI: Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province has detected a fresh poliovirus case in a male child, the country’s polio eradication program said on Tuesday, taking the total number of cases reported this year to 46 as Islamabad struggles to clamp down on the infection. 

The National Institute of Health’s (NIH) laboratory confirmed detecting the virus in a male child from Killa Saifullah district in Balochistan, the program said. 

“This is the second polio case from Killa Saifullah, where several environmental samples have tested positive for WPV1,” the Pakistan Polio Eradication Program said. “So far, 23 cases have been reported from Balochistan province, 12 from Sindh province, nine from KP and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.”

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio remains endemic. Since late 2018, Pakistan has seen a resurgence of cases and increased spread of poliovirus, highlighting the fragility of gains achieved in the preceding years when cases dropped in 2023 to six, from 20 in 2022 and just one in 2022. Misinformation about vaccinations and attacks by militants on polio teams have been major impediments to immunization campaigns.

At least seven people, including five school students, were killed and 23 injured in a blast in southwestern Pakistan that targeted a polio vaccination team vehicle on Friday, police said. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Last Tuesday, a policeman was killed in an attack on a health office that manages door-to-door polio vaccination campaigns.

The attacks have coincided with Pakistan’s third nationwide polio campaign this year, launched last week with the aim to administer vaccine drops to more than 45 million children.

Pakistani Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication, Ayesha Raza Farooq, has said that the government is revamping its polio eradication program to make the country free of the virus by mid next year.

“WPV1 has been detected in 76 districts, indicating widespread circulation of the virus and a continued serious risk to children’s well-being from a disease that can paralyze them for life,” the polio eradication program said. 
“Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five is essential to keep them protected.”


Pakistan PM says policy rate reduction to enhance business activities, boost employment

Updated 15 min 51 sec ago
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Pakistan PM says policy rate reduction to enhance business activities, boost employment

  • Pakistan’s central bank slashed key policy rate by 250 basis points to 15 percent on Monday 
  • With fourth straight reduction since June, Islamabad aims to revive sluggish economy 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has welcomed the central bank’s decision to cut the policy rate by 250 basis points, saying the move would help boost the country’s business activities and enhance employment opportunities, state-run media reported on Tuesday.

Pakistan’s central bank slashed its key policy rate by 250 basis points to 15 percent on Monday for a fourth straight reduction since June. The development takes place as Islamabad attempts to revive a sluggish, fragile $350 billion economy as inflation eases. 

Monday’s move follows cuts of 150 bps in June, 100 bps in July, and 200 in September that have taken the rate from an all-time high of 22 percent, set in June 2023 and left unchanged for a year. It takes the total cuts to 700 bps in under five months.

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says the reduction in policy rate will enhance business activities, exports and employment opportunities in the country,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported. 

Sharif was chairing a meeting of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) parliamentary party on Monday when he touched upon the central bank’s move. The premier noted that inflation has reduced from an alarming 38 percent in May 2023 to 7 percent at present.

The Pakistani premier informed members of the PML-N parliamentary party about his visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar last week, saying that “a new chapter” has been added to the Pakistan-Saudi investment partnership. 

“The Saudi leadership assured all kinds of support for the stability and development of Pakistan’s economy,” Sharif said according to the state broadcaster. 

The Pakistani prime minister also informed the lawmakers about his visit to Qatar, saying that the Qatari leadership also assured an increase in investment for Pakistan. He said talks were held between both sides on giving “a practical shape” to projects worth $3 billion in Pakistan. 

“He said Qatar will invest in various sectors including aviation, hoteling, information technology and energy sectors in Pakistan,” the state broadcaster said. “Shehbaz Sharif said the government is taking steps on a priority basis to facilitate investment and increase foreign investment in Pakistan.”


Pakistan parliament approves bills to extend tenure of services chiefs to five years

Updated 04 November 2024
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Pakistan parliament approves bills to extend tenure of services chiefs to five years

  • Extension in services of army, navy and air force chiefs follows controversial amendments to the constitution last month
  • The opposition PTI party condemns the amendments for changing Pakistan “from a democracy into a monarchy”

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Assembly and Senate on Monday approved bills to extend the tenure of the army, navy, and air force chiefs from three to five years, amid protests by the opposition benches. 

The office of the army chief is considered to be the most powerful in the country, with the army having ruled Pakistan for almost half of its 75-year history. Even when not directly in power, the army is considered to be the invisible guiding hand in politics and holds considerable sway in internal security, foreign policy, and economic affairs, among other domains. 

Six bills were passed by the upper and lower houses on Monday evening, including one to increase the term of the services chiefs.

“In the said Act, in section 8A, in sub-section (1), for the expression “three (03)” the word “five (05)” shall be substituted,” read the bill, seeking to amend the Pakistan Army Act, 1952.

Similar bills were passed to increase the duration of the country’s naval and air force chiefs to five years also. 

“The purpose of these amendments are to make consistent the Pakistan Army Act, 1952 (XXXIX of 1952) The Pakistan Navy Ordinance, 1961 (Ordinance No. XXXV of 1961) and The Pakistan Air Force Act, 1953 (VI of 1953) with the maximum tenure of the Chief of the Army Staff, the Chief of the Naval Staff and the Chief of the Air Staff and to make consequential amendments for uniformity in the aforementioned laws.” 

Speaking outside parliament, the chairman of the opposition PTI party, Gohar Ali Khan, said:

“Today, democracy has been changed into a monarchy.”

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan, said “modifying the service chiefs’ tenure is not a good thing for the country and the armed forces.”

The passage of the new bills follows controversial amendments made to the constitution last month, granting lawmakers the authority to nominate the chief justice of Pakistan, who previously used to be automatically appointed according to the principle of seniority.

The amendments allowed the government to bypass the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, and appoint Justice Yahya Afridi as the country’s top judge, replacing former chief justice Qazi Faez Isa. 

The opposition and the legal fraternity had opposed the amendments, arguing that they were aimed at granting more power to the executive in making judicial appointments and curtailing the independence of the judiciary. The government denies this.


Pakistani forces kill six militants in shootouts near border with Afghanistan — military

Updated 04 November 2024
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Pakistani forces kill six militants in shootouts near border with Afghanistan — military

  • Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan, has witnessed a number of attacks recently
  • Pakistan blames the surge in militancy on militants operating out of Afghanistan, Kabul denies the allegations

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces have killed six militants in two separate engagements in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the Pakistani military said on Monday.
A militant was killed in an exchange of fire during an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan’s Dosali area, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
In the second incident, Pakistani forces intercepted a group of militants while infiltrating the country’s border with Afghanistan in the South Waziristan district. Five militants were killed as a result.
“Pakistan has consistently been asking Interim Afghan Government to ensure effective border management on their side of the border,” the ISPR said in a statement.
“Interim Afghan Government is expected to fulfil its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by Khwarij [militants] for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan.”
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan, has witnessed a number of attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups that targeted security forces convoys and check posts, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials in recent months.
Pakistan has frequently accused neighboring Afghanistan of sheltering and supporting militant groups, urging the Taliban administration in Kabul to prevent its territory from being used by armed factions to launch cross-border attacks.
Afghan officials, however, deny involvement, insisting Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter of Islamabad.