Various splinter groups of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) have reached an agreement for unification following a late-night meeting at the Governor’s House in Karachi, sources told Aaj News on Thursday.

Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui-led Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQMP), Mustafa Kamal-led Pakistan Sarzameen Party (PSP) and other factions will ‘reunifiy’ into a single party under a formula hammered out by the Rabita Committee of the MQMP, the largest group, according to the sources.

Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori played a key role in the ‘reunification’ efforts, said the sources.

An MQMP delegation under Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui arrived at the Governor’s House Karachi late Wednesday night, apparently to finalize the details. They discussed several issues with Governor Tessori.

Sources told Aaj News that Governor Tessori successfully persuaded the MQMP Rabita Committee for the unification of all groups including the PSP.

The unification will be a two-phase process and the PSP will merge with MQMP in the first phase. Farooq Sattar-led faction and other groups will join in the second phase.

Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui will continue to hold the office of the convener after the merger, the sources said, adding that Mustafa Kamal, Anis Kaimkhani and others have accepted him as the party head.

A formal announcement is expected within a few days, according to the sources.

Although the process is being dubbed as the ‘reunification’ of MQM, it effectively brings together – for the first time – all the groups that renounced the party founder following his August 2016 speech against national institutions.

Mustafa Kamal rebelled against the MQM founder a few months before the August 2016 events.

Farooq Sattar struggled to salvage the party under Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan, but he soon lost control.

Ironically, Sattar fell out with his MQMP colleagues over Tessori, whom he wanted to nominate as Senator from the MQMP.

Dr Farooq Sattar announced his own small faction named “MQM Tanzeemi Bahali Committee” – or the committee for the revival of the organization.