No truth to NA-242 seat adjustment reports with PML-N: MQM-P

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Wednesday rejected reports claiming that the party had agreed to adjust its candidate in favour of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif in the NA-242 constituency in Karachi.

MQM-P leader Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said that there was no truth to the reports pertaining to the seat adjustment in NA-242. “Senior Deputy Convener Mustafa Kamal is contesting as MQM-P candidate from the constituency,” he added.

A day earlier, it was reported that the MQM-P had agreed on seat adjustments with the PML-N for three NA constituencies, including NA-242, where PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif is also contesting elections.

Sources had told Geo News on Tuesday that apart from Shehbaz, the PML-N will field its candidates for five NA seats — including NA-229, 230 and 239 — as well as 11 provincial assembly seats within these constituencies. Meanwhile, theMQM-P candidates would contest polls for the national and provincial assembly seats from Malir’s NA-231 constituency, they said.

The sources added that the Karachi-based party would field its candidates on the provincial seats within the NA-242 constituency. On December 29, Shehbaz announced filing his nomination papers for the upcoming general elections from NA-242 constituency, where Kamal had also filed his documents.

Shehbaz had contested from the NA-249 constituency of Karachi in the 2018 general elections, which he lost to then Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Faisal Vawda by a slight margin.