KARACHI: Amid rumors of internal party strife, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has convened an important meeting of its coordination committee to discuss elections and constituencies as per the latest national census.
Along with the news of the retrenchment came reports that some influential leaders were considering quitting the party.
Moreover, Dr. Farooq Sattar’s weekend press conference was suddenly postponed.
However, Dr. Sattar categorically denied all claims that there was no division among the MQMP leaders.
He said that some leaders of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) are spreading false information to distract Karachi and obstruct the process of new constituencies.
During the meeting, the party called it “impossible” to hold transparent elections without implementing the new constituencies.
The meeting was held at Pakistan House and was presided over by party convener Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui.
According to MQM spokesperson, Senior Deputy Convener Mustafa Kamal, Dr. Sattar, Nasreen Jalil and other Deputy Convenors participated in the meeting, in which the current political situation was discussed, especially the issue of constituencies.
A statement issued during the meeting emphasized the need for new constituencies to ensure transparent elections after the national census.
It was decided in the meeting that MQMP will use all available constitutional and legal means to monitor the process of constituencies in Karachi.
Based on the recent census, it was determined that Karachi should anticipate an increase of about four provincial assembly seats and one national assembly seat. However, depending on whether constituencies are demarcated at the divisional or district level, these figures may vary.
If the delimitation is done at the divisional level, four seats in the provincial assembly of Karachi and one seat in the national assembly may increase.
Conversely, if delimitation takes place at the district level, Karachi could gain three more seats in the provincial assembly and one in the national assembly.
According to the National Census report released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics on August 6, Karachi has 22.23% share in the Provincial Assembly and 47.57% in the National Assembly seats.
Apart from this, the report revealed that one National Assembly seat from Shaheed Benazirabad, two Provincial Assembly seats from Hyderabad, one seat each from Sukkur and Larkana will be returned to Karachi.
In District South, two seats of Provincial Assembly and one seat of National Assembly will be transferred, the remaining three seats are from District Central, East and Malir.
