PTI replaces young Owais with veteran Najeeb for PS-114 race

Najeeb Haroon is one of the founding members of the party

KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has decided to replace Chaudhary Owais with senior party leader Najeeb Haroon as its candidate for the PS-114 Karachi by-election on July 9.

PTI Karachi president Firdous Shamim Naqvi made the announcement at the party's headquarters in the city, Insaf House.

Earlier, the party had announced that it was fielding 31-year-old Chaudhary Owais, the District East vice president of the party, for the seat.

Naqvi said when the party had made the previous announcement, Haroon, one of the founding members of the PTI, was abroad but now that he had returned, it had opted for him.



"Najeeb has served the PTI for a long time and he will surely win the election for the party," he added.

The PTI Karachi chief maintained that the previous candidate, Owais, had willingly stepped down for Haroon.

"We hope that activists like Owais will continue to work selflessly for the party and make sacrifices for it."

The constituency comprises Mehmoodabad, Akhtar Colony, Kashmir Colony, Chanesar Goth, Defence View and Manzoor Colony.

The PS-114 consitituency was won by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Irfanullah Marwat in the 2013 general elections.

Marwat’s victory, however, was declared void by the election tribunal in July 2014 after the runner-up, Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Rauf Siddiqui, challenged the result alleging that the polls were rigged.

On May 11 this year, the Supreme Court dismissed Marwat’s appeal against the election tribunal’s decision.

As Marwat has decided to file a review petition against the Supreme Court’s decision to disqualify him, he too can run for seat.

The Pakistan People’s Party has chosen Senator Saeed Ghani as its candidate in the PS-114 race.