By-elections: PTI decides to contest elections on PS-115 and PS-245

Party leaders feel voters will reconsider electing MQM candidates

KARACHI: Voters will think twice before voting for the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) since there are serious allegations against the party for their involvement with RAW, claimed PTI member Firdous Shamim Naqvi during a press conference at Insaf House on Wednesday.

Naqvi believes that the allegations against MQM are serious since they are made by the former senior leadership of the party. He said this while announcing PTI's decision to contest in the upcoming by-election on PS-115 and PS-245 in the city.

Addressing the media, Naqvi, MPA Khurram Sher Zaman and the two nominated candidates talked about the current political situation and the upcoming by-elections in the city.

PTI's Amjad Asif Jah will compete for the provincial assembly membership from PS-115, while Amjadullah Khan will contest from PS-245, said Naqvi. He also demanded the Election Commission to change the date of election from April 7 to April 10, so that voters can easily cast vote on the weekend.



The two candidates introduced themselves while talking to the media at the press conference. Jah joined PTI in 2010 and has been running an interior design company after completing the degree of architecture from Indus Valley School of Arts and Architecture. Meanwhile, Khan said that he is associated with the PTI since last three years and has completed his MBA from America. Jah is currently the CEO of Amjad Ahsan InfoTech.

In the general elections that were held in 2013, the runner-up PTI contestant, Hamza Nafees from PS-115, secured 18,622 votes while Arshad Vohra of MQM won with 55,804 votes. Similarly, PTI's runner-up candidate Riaz Haider from NA-245 got 54,937 votes whereas MQM's Rehan Hashmi won the elections with 115,776 votes.

The two seats, NA-245 of national assembly and PS-115 of the provincial assembly, became vacant after MNA Rehan Hashmi and MPA Arshad Vohra resigned from their seats.

Empowering LG system

Talking about the delay in the implementation of local bodies system, Naqvi said that the general public is confused whether the system will be empowered or not. He added that it has been four months since the local bodies' elections were held, but the system is not functional yet.

Criticising the MQM for not showing seriousness in serving the people, Naqvi asked the nominated mayor from the MQM, Waseem Akhtar, to present an action plan to solve the problems of the city. "There is no harm if the mayor cleans the city with a broom stick in his hand, but Karachi needs more than this," he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17^th, 2016.