MQM-P 'enters seat adjustment' with PML-N for Karachi’s NA-242

LAHORE: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has withdrawn its candidate in favour of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif, to contest on Karachi’s National Assembly seat NA-242 in the upcoming general elections, slated to take place on February 8.

Sources told Geo News on Tuesday that the Karachi-based party has entered seat adjustment with the former ruling party for five NA constituencies including NA-242, from where Shehbaz has submitted his nomination papers.

The PML-N president was cleared by the election tribunal to contest upcoming polls from district Keamari of Karachi, which was once a stronghold of the MQM-P.

The sources also said that apart from Shehbaz, the PML-N will field its candidates on five NA seats — including NA-229, 230 and 239 — as well as 11 provincial assembly seats within these constituencies.

Meanwhile, the MQM-P candidates would contest polls for the national and provincial assembly seats from Malir’s NA-231 constituency.

The well-placed sources further said that the Karachi-based party would field its candidates on the provincial seats within the NA-242 constituency

They added that the PML-N would also contest for NA seats in Mirpurkhas, Nawabshah and Sukkur.

Last year on December 29, Shehbaz had announced filing his nomination papers for the upcoming general elections from the NA-242 constituency, where MQM-P senior deputy convener and former Karachi mayor Mustafa Kamal had also filed their documents.

Shehbaz had contested from the NA-249 constituency of Karachi in the last general elections which he lost to the then-Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Faisal Vawda by a slight margin.