MQM-P denies withdrawing candidate from NA-242 in support of PML-N

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Saturday refuted media reports that claimed that it had decided to support the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the Baldia Town constituency NA-242 Keamari (old NA-249).

A spokesperson for the party told Geo News that the MQM-P had no plans of seat adjustment on the aforementioned constituency with the PML-N and the media reports were baseless.

The spokesperson added that MQM-P Senior Deputy Convenor Mustafa Kamal was still the party's candidate for the seat.

The News had earlier reported that the election in the Baldia Town constituency in Karachi would be one of the most interesting contests owing to the popular candidates partaking in the polls including former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is expected to contest elections on the seat again, apart from fielding himself in a Lahore constituency.

Shehbaz will be up against the former Karachi mayor and Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Qadir Khan Mandokhail, the previous lawmaker from the constituency.

The former PM had a close contest with then Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Faisal Vawda in the 2018 general elections, which the latter won with a margin of a few hundred votes.

The PPP snatched this seat from the PTI in 2021 after the ex-PTI politician resigned following his election to the Senate. PPP’s Mandokhail emerged victorious and defeated the PML-N and Pakistan Democratic Movement's joint candidate Miftah Ismail, who served as a finance minister for a few months in the Shehbaz-led government last year.

In 2018, Kamal also contested in the by-poll while he was leading the Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) which has now merged with the MQM-P. In the coming elections, he would be the MQM-P’s candidate.