KARACHI: Two former federal ministers belonging to the once-unified Muttahida Qaumi Movement announced on Sunday that they had left the Altaf Hussain-led MQM, commonly known as MQM-London, for “personal reasons”.

Former ports and shipping minister Babar Ghori and ex-communication minister Shamim Siddiqui told the media that they had resigned from the basic membership of the party and had no immediate plans to join any other group or party.

Mr Ghori has been living abroad since March 2015 and remained inactive in the party. The MQM-Pakistan and Pak Sarzameen Party maintained that they had no links with him and the MQM-London also chose not to give him any organisational responsibility during these years.

He managed to leave the country ahead of MQM worker Saulat Mirza’s video statement that emerged hours before his scheduled execution in which he revealed the alleged role of Mr Ghori in the assassination of former managing director of Karachi Electric Supply Corporation Shahid Hamid.

Cite ‘personal reasons’ for their decision

Sources said that Mr Ghori had been warned by a key minister of Nawaz Sharif’s cabinet as well as a known politician from Rawalpindi that the establishment would not spare him if he stayed in the country.

Since then, Mr Ghori’s business interests in Karachi suffered badly with many of his marriage halls were either demolished or sealed by the authorities concerned. His business partners were told to part ways with him or be ready to face the music.

Recently, he was also booked in a money laundering case registered by the Federal Investigation Agency on the complaint of a London-based businessman, Sarfraz Merchant.

Rumours were rife that Mr Ghori wanted to return to the country and for this purpose he was ready to either join the MQM-Pakistan or the Pakistan Peoples Party so that the powers that be could allow him to return.

In a statement released to the media, Mr Ghori said that he was thankful to the “party leadership” for giving him important responsibilities during the time of his association with the MQM.

“I apologise to everyone if I ever intentionally or unintentionally hurt their sentiments. This is my personal decision and I want to make it clear that, for now, I am not going to join any political party or group,” the statement added.

Likewise, former federal minister Shamim Siddiqui told the media that he had sent his resignation to London and his decision to part ways with the party was also motivated by personal reasons. Mr Siddiqui, a close relative of MQM-P leader Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, was suspended from the MQM in May 2013 because of what the party said his dubious business matters.

Meanwhile, a previously unknown member of the MQM-L, Ambar Khan, also announced that he quit the Altaf Hussain-led party.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2017