London leaders lose sway over MQM as lawmakers defy instructions

 

KARACHI: It’s been over 24 hours since the London chapter of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement of Pakistan (MQM) asked lawmakers of the party in Pakistan to resign for presenting resolution against Altaf Hussain, only one Member of The National Assembly heeded to the instructions and sent his resignation to the speaker of the house.

Nadeem Nusrat, a coterie of MQM founder, on Wednesday strongly criticized the party lawmakers for presenting and supporting a resolution against Altaf Hussain in Sindh Assembly and asking them to resign as they had won elections on the MQM founder's mandate.
However, only Sufyan Yousuf, an MNA,  is said to have sent his resignation letter to National Assembly Speaker.

On the other hand, MQM-Pakistan leader Faisal Sabzwari said statements made on August 22 were never part of the mandate given to them. “If elections would have taken place after the founders speech our voters would have hit us with shoes,” Geo News quoted him as saying.

“We can resign at a moment’s notice but we cannot leave people under these circumstances. People want to see their elected representatives be brave and resolve their issues,” said another veteran Rauf Siddiqui.
Izharul Hassan, who in collaboration with Dr Farooq Sttar is running the party's Pakistan chapter, is said to have called a meeting of the MQM lawmakers to come up with a future course of action.

The MQM Pakistan has also disowned Nadeem Nusrat, Wasay Jalil and Mustafa Azizabadi for issuing statements against the party policy which was formed on August 23, a day after Altaf Hussain's anti-Pakistan speech.