KARACHI – In another blow, the United States embassy has refused to issuea visa to Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Farooq Sattar,one of the senior Pakistani politicians.
Sattar, who is facing serious conflicts within his party, had applied forthe visa around eight months ago and was called three to four times for theinterviews but he apparently could not satisfy the US officials. Now, hehas been given a new date for another interview.
The person, in whose name the fourth largest party of Pakistan isregistered, is a frequent visitor as he has been visiting the US for 15days every year for the last 30 years. His two daughters live in the US,local media reported.
However, the US embassy had earlier issued a visa to Sattar’s wife, wholeft for the US alone after her spouse was denied.
Sattar began his political career in 1987 as the Mayor of Karachi. In 1993,he served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Provincial Assembly ofSindh and had been a member of the provincial and federal cabinet, invarious positions, since 1997. He served as the provincial Minister inSindh government from 1997 to 1999 and as the Federal Minister for OverseasPakistanis from 2008 to 2013.