KARACHI: MQM-P leader Farooq Sattar on Tuesday submitted a plea in Election Commission of Pakistan seeking the dissolution of Rabta Committee.

His decision came after the committee sacked him as convener of the political party and selected the deputy convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui on his place.

Sattar has called for fresh intra-party polls on February 17. He has asked the Bahdurabad faction to return before the said date so that they can form the committee altogether.

On the other hand, a spokesperson of ECP refuted the claims of MQM-P Bahadurabad faction and said that the party is not registered under the name of Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui.

He also said that the ECP has not entertained any application regarding change of MQM-P leadership and added that the party retains its old status in the ECP.

The spokesperson further said that change in MQM-P leadership can be taken only after the new party elections. He also clarified that ECP’s Sindh returning officer decided to award Senate ticket as per the MQM-P constitution.

Apart from this, rift among the two factions over the party’s election symbol ‘kite’ has also emerged. Pacing ahead, the Bahadurabad faction has placed kites outside their office.

It should be noted here that MQM-P was divided into factions after Dr Sattar insisted to have Kamran Tessori contest Senate elections scheduled in March.

ECP has accepted the nomination papers for upcoming Senate elections forwarded by Khalid Maqbool Siddique and Tessori.

The commission accepted papers of Barrister Farogh Naseem and Nasreen Jalil which bore signatures of the newly-appointed convener.