Gabol resigns as MNA

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Nabeel Gabol on Tuesday submitted his resignation to the office of Speaker National Assembly, hinting at differences between him and the party as the main reason behind his decision. "I was misfit in the MQM ... I submitted my resignation with the party 15 days back and now I've submitted it with the Speaker as well," he said.
Talking to media persons, he said he was unable to give enough time to the party; therefore he thought it better to resign from the assembly. He, however, said that he was enjoying good relations with the MQM's Rabita Committee members and the party chief Altaf Hussain. "I've some personal reasons to resign from the National Assembly," he said.
Gabol said that he wants to do politics of national level while the canvas of MQM was confined to only one province. "I have been in the parliament for 27 years and would keep doing politics," he said. Asked whether he was resigning under pressure, Gabol said: "I am not a goat that can be pulled in any direction by anyone or tied to a post. I have my personal following in Karachi and Sindh; no one has the guts to threaten me."
He said the MQM is an organised political party while he is like a "misguided missile"; therefore his association with the party was not going to last long anyway. Gabol said the National Assembly speaker was not present in his office, so he had to submit his resignation to the deputy speaker. He added that he hopes his resignation is not treated the way PTI resignations were handled. The MQM leader, Abdul Rashid Godial, later talking to media clarified that there were no differences between Gabol and the party nor the MQM has pressured him to resign.
"Nabeel has resigned from the National Assembly not the party. He was part of the MQM and is still a member," he said. After being practically sidelined by Pakistan Peoples Party leadership, Gabol had joined MQM in 2013 -months before the general election - to what he called "serve the people of Lyari". Later he won NA-246 seat in Karachi on MQM's ticket by claiming more than 100,000 votes.
Previously, Gabol has been elected MNA from Lyari in 2008 on a PPP ticket. He became minister of state for ports and shipping, but later resigned from the post. He has also served as deputy speaker of the Sindh Assembly. Gabol will address a press conference in Islamabad on Wednesday to give details about his resignation and his future prospects in politics. He, however, parried questions about rumours that he was joining Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.