ANP to support PPP in Karachi by-elections

KARACHI: The Awami National Party (ANP) has announced that it would support the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the by-elections for Karachi’s four constituencies to be held this month.

The by-polls for NA-243 (East-II) and PS-87 (Malir-I) will take place on October 14, while the race for NA-247 (South-II) and PS-111 (South-V) are scheduled for October 21.

The decision was made during a meeting between ANP Sindh President Shahi Syed and a PPP delegation led by the party’s provincial general secretary, Waqar Mehdi, at the former’s residence, Mardan House, on Monday.

Key PPP leader Rashid Rabbani and the party’s by-election candidates were also present on the occasion, while ANP Sindh General Secretary Younas Buneri and district leaders Zor Talab Khan, Abdul Qayyum Salarzai and Anwar Zaib represented their party.

The PPP leaders requested that the ANP support the former’s candidates. Accepting the request, Syed agreed that an alliance should be forged between truly democratic and moderate political forces of the country in keeping with the requirement of the current times.

He directed the ANP leaders to ensure that every party worker at district and ward levels and all of their subsidiary organisations across the city make all-out efforts to help the PPP win the by-polls.

The National Assembly constituency NA-243 comprises Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Bahadurabad and the provincial assembly constituency PS-87 covers the rural areas of Malir. NA-247 comprises the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and Burnes Road and PS-111 covers the DHA.