JUI-F withdraws from NA-245 by-poll in favour of Muttahida

The ruling coalition in the federal government has united against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for the NA-245 by-election as after the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) withdrawal in favour of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s (MQM-P) candidate, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) on Saturday also withdrew its candidate in favour of the MQM-P.

JUI-F Sindh Media Coordinator Maulana Samiul Haq Swati told The News that the party had fielded Haji Aminullah for the August 21 by-election in NA-245, a seat that fell vacant after the death of PTI MNA Aamer Liaquat Hussain, but now it had withdrawn the candidature on the instructions of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman in favour of MQM-P candidate Moeed Anwar.

The announcement came after an MQM-P delegation comprising Khawaja Izharul Hassan and Anwar called on Aminullah at his residence. Later, in a joint press conference, the JUI-F leader said that the coalition parties had decided to support the candidate of the party that was runner-up in the last general elections.

Hassan said that the party wanted Farooq Sattar, who now owns his own faction of the MQM, to contest the by-election but the latter refused due to some reasons. The MQM-P recently tried to settle matters with Sattar, who is now contesting the by-election as an independent candidate, but failed.