Ex-Karachi mayor launches new Pakistani party
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 3 March 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Ex-Karachi mayor launches new Pakistani party, 3 March 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/570cdfa515.html [accessed 4 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
March 03, 2016
A former Karachi mayor has launched a political party to challenge the iron grip of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Pakistan's largest and richest city.
"Today we are laying the foundation of an organization – you may call it a party," Mustafa Kamal said on March 3 after returning home from self-imposed exile. "We are just two individuals."
Kamal was mayor of Karachi from 2005 to 2010. He had been living in Dubai since 2013, when he left Pakistan over reported differences with MQM head Altaf Husain.
The MQM dominates politics in Karachi but recently has been targeted with raids and arrests by security forces.
A court has issued an arrest warrant for Husain, who lives in self-imposed exile in Britain, for allegedly threatening a colonel of the paramilitary Rangers force.
Based on reporting by Reuters and Dawn
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
