'Historic day': Mustafa Kamal, Farooq Sattar back to MQM fold.

KARACHI -- In a much-hyped merger, Mustafa Kamal and Dr Farooq Sattar - who had formed their separate factions - Thursday joined the Mutahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P).

Kamal had established the Pak Sarzameen Party in 2016 and Sattar formed the MQM-P Bahali Committee in 2018 after developing differences with the party.

In a press conference flanked by the top brass of the party, MQM-P Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said the "graveness" of the situation in Sindh's urban areas requires all people to join hands.

"It is important that under the circumstances, the people, whose families laid down their lives for Pakistan's formations, should come together for a historic struggle," the MQM-P leader said.

Siddiqui said that the elements who wished to divide the nation are disappointed and vowed that the rejuvenated MQM-P would live up to the dreams of the masses and strive for urban cities' development.

"I welcome you all - Kamal, Sattar, and their aides. I hope that all of you will strive for the nation," the former federal minister for information and technology added.

In response to a question from a journalist, the MQM-P convener said that the party would not allow the staging of the upcoming local body polls - a move that will invite criticism from opposing parties.

"If they redo the delimitation again, we are ready to participate in the local body polls. If it is not fixed, then we will fight for our rights," Siddiqui warned.

For his part, Kamal said this day will be remembered in history as an 'important day' as certain decisions would be taken today that are 'unthinkable'.

'If we [the MQM-P leaders] talk about ourselves, then we have taken such unthinkable decisions in the past as well, which were beyond people's comprehension,' he said, recalling that when he left MQM founder Altaf Hussain on August 14, 2013, he was a senator and the member of the Rabta committee.

He clarified that he had no personal differences with Hussain and that the decision to leave the party was completely based on political differences.

Walking the journalists down the events that took place in the past, Kamal recalled that in October 2013, then-member of the Rabta committee Anees Qaimkhani left Hussain's party, and for three years both leaders remained silent.

'On March 3, 2016, we [Kamal and Qaimkhani] came to Karachi and bluntly spoke the truth, which was once again in the wider interest of the Muhajir cause,' he said.

Kamal said the decision taken on...