It was a shocker for many when it was reported that the nomination papers of MQM leader Farooq Sattar for NA 245 had been rejected. Journalist and host of the famous program Zara Hut Kay, Mubashir Zaidi, had an interesting comment to add on this unbelievable development.
He tweeted, “Bhai log pe ye waqt bhi aana tha”. The literal meaning of the phrase is, “Brother [Don of the town] had to see this day too?”
However, the meaning of the line goes far back in history when MQM used to be a power to reckon with in the city of Karachi. The party commanded so much power that it could halt the city with one call. Other parties could not hold a rally in Karachi without the nod of the MQM leadership.
No one thought any one had the power to curtail MQM. No one but one man, the party’s London-based supremo Altaf Hussain, and he did it so well that no one thought it could have been that easy. It was his anti-state and anti-Pakistan slogans that forced the local leadership to disassociate themselves from Mr. Altaf Hussain.
First a splinter group in the leadership of Mustafa Kamal formed their own party called Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP). Later, MQM itself was divided into MQM London and MQM Pakistan with the later then headed by Farooq Sattar.
However, Farooq Sattar couldn’t solidify his leadership position and soon a power-struggle in the party lead to further division of MQM Pakistan into MQM PIB led by Farooq Sattar and MQM Bahadurabad led by Khalid Maqbool.
The result of all these internal rifts, power-struggles, and divisions have severely weakened the party and has given room to other parties such as Peoples Party and Tehreek-e-Insaf to make inroads into the strongholds of the former king-maker of Karachi, once known as The MQM.
Bhai log ko ye waqt dekhna he tha.