Prepping up: MQM likely to field Babar Ghauri for NA-245 by-polls

Party confident to maintain control on both NA and provincial assembly seats

KARACHI: Former MNA and senator Babar Ghauri is emerging as the Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) favourite to fill the shoes of Rehan Hashmi in the National Assembly, who, along with PS-115 MPA Arshad Vohra, resigned after being elected in the local bodies.

Political parties, including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), have begun preparations to contest the by-elections on April 7.

According to MQM sources, Ghauri is most likely to return to Parliament after emerging as the party's favourite. " Ghauri seems to be the candidate from our side who would be nominated for this seat," said a party official.



The by-elections for provincial assembly seat PS-115 are being held as Vohra, who had contested the local bodies' elections and has now been chosen as the deputy mayor-nominee of Karachi by the party, was the MPA from PS-115. Meanwhile, Hashmi, who has been elected as a chairman in a union committee, was an active MNA from NA-245.

The party source said the decision to bring Ghauri back into politics was made after he was cleared in allegations put forward by Saulat Mirza, who had claimed that on the instructions of party chief Altaf Hussain and Ghauri, he had killed the former Karachi Electric Supply Company Limited managing director Shahid Hamid. Mirza was recently hanged after being convicted of the crime.

Ghauri, who has been in London for several months, has served as the federal minister of ports and shipping and has twice been a senator, MPA and MNA in the past.



Regarding nominations for PS-115, the party is still in the consultations process.

PS-115 includes Lines Area, Khudadad Colony, Jacob Lines and Preedy, and is considered a stronghold of the MQM. Falling in District Central, NA-245 includes areas of North Nazimabad, Buffer Zone, some parts of Nazimabad and North Karachi.

PTI in the fray

The PTI is also contesting the by-elections, said party leader Imran Ismail. "We are positive that we will bag the PS-115 seat and also have a good fight on the National Assembly seat," he claimed.

The MQM MNA from the PS-115 constituency, Ali Raza Abidi, thinks otherwise. "The PTI will be defeated in the by-elections as they were defeated in the NA-246 by-elections last year." He said the PTI never contested in the local government elections from PS-115 and has never done anything in the area, so how can they expect to win.

The PTI has called in interested candidates to submit forms, for which they are charging Rs20,000 for NA-245 and Rs10,000 for PS-115. According to the party, all applications will be scrutinised by a parliamentary board and the ticket will be issued by party chief Imran Khan.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 2^nd, 2016.