HYDERABAD: The Mut­ta­hida Qaumi Movement (MQM) public secretariat, which had been sealed by the Hyderabad district administration in the wake of its founder leader Altaf Hussain’s incendiary speech of Aug 22, 2016, was opened on Tuesday by MQM-Pakistan leaders.

Apparently renamed as the ‘MQM-P district office & public secretariat’, the office is located in the Bhai Khan Chari area.

It was inaugurated by MQM-P deputy convener Kamran Tessori.

Hyderabad SSp Pir Mohammad Shah, told local reporters on Tuesday that “we have been asked to allow the MQM-P to open the secretariat, which is probably called the Nazeer Hussain secretariat. But the status of other party offices at unit or sector level will remain unchanged”.

A number of MQM-P lawmakers, leaders and activists were present at the secretariat to celebrate its opening and rejoiced the occasion when Mr Tessori performed the inauguration. Prominent among them were MPA Rashid Khilji, Mayor Syed Tayyab Hussain and Rashid Mumtaz.

Speaking to them, Mr Tessori said that MQM-P had chosen Hyderabad for its 2018 election campaign and the opening of the secretariat as its office was part of this process. He said the MQM-P was the real voice of masses and those who wanted to silence it, in fact wanted to push the country to a quagmire.

He said that the local party office was a nucleus for Hyderabad’s people and hoped that the zonal office here would also be opened. Mr Tessori also chaired a meeting of party’s lawmakers and Hyderabad office-bearers. He was scheduled to address a gathering in the Tilak Chari area late in the evening. Altaf-led MQM had set up its zonal office, located just opposite the secretariat, with the inception of the party.

It had been sealed along with all other party offices in Hyderabad. The local chapter of the party used to look after the affairs of its student wing (All Pakistan Mutta­hida Students Organisation), women wing and labour division through the public secretariat.

Some party offices were demolished during anti-encroachment drives and some others were got vacated after the Aug 22, 2016 episode. The party had obtained a property on Qazi Abdul Qayyum Road after closure of its offices but it could not continue its functions there and eventually closed it.

Until recently, it was trying to acquire a private property in the Street-3 of Pucca Qila.

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2018