PPP trades off Karachi administrator slot for Senate seat with MQMP

KARACHI: In a political trade-off between Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan and Pakistan People’s Party, the former has agreed to withdraw its candidate for Senate by-poll from Sindh in favour of latter’s candidate Waqar Mehdi for the coveted post of Karachi city administrator.

In this regard, a delegation of the PPP, led by Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, held talks with the leaders of the MQM at its Bahadurabad headquarters. Deputy Convener MQM, Wasim Akhtar, later told reporters the delegation of the PPP came to seek MQM’s support for their candidate in the upcoming Senate by-poll.

“We have decided to withdraw our candidate from the Senate by-poll after consulting with convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and the coordination committee of the party,” said Akhtar.

He added that the MQM’s candidate would formally withdraw its candidature from the Senate by-poll on Saturday. The MQM leader expressed hope that PPP’s candidate Waqar Mehdi after becoming the senator would strive in the upper house of the parliament for securing the due rights of the people of Sindh.

Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain thanked MQM for withdrawing its candidate, saying that the ruling PPP had been doing its best to take along MQM for resolving the problems of the people of the province.

In the given scenario, PPP’s candidate Waqar Mehdi is likely to be elected unopposed in the Senate by-poll in Sindh scheduled to be held on December 8. During the meeting, the PPP delegation discussed with MQMP the various matters, including by-elections on the Senate seat in the Sindh Assembly, delimitation of constituencies, the appointment of a new administrator of Karachi and others.