Sindh Assembly braces for its youngest MPA

The 26-year-old Abbas Jaffrey is the only MPA from showbiz to have made it to the Sindh Assembly in 2018 elections

KARACHI: Two-time winner of Lux Style Awards Best Model, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf's (PTI) candidate, Abbas Jaffrey is all set to fulfill his responsibility as Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA).

PHOTO: ABBAS JAFFREY/INSTAGRAM

The 26-year-old will be the youngest and the only MPA from showbiz background to have made to the Sindh assembly in these general elections from PS 125 – the strongest seat under the hold of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

Jaffrey won his seat with 30,687 votes, whereas, his competitor Abdul Hasib of MQM garnered 26,818 votes.

However, the model-turned-politician thinks one of the reasons he managed to grab the MPA seat, well other than PTI's popularity, was his female fan following.

PHOTO: ABBAS JAFFREY/INSTAGRAM

Jaffery, in 2010, changed the quintessential model outlook with his unconventional cavemen appearance. Even in politics, he is all set to challenge the pseudo-political system. "I am a positive man," he told The Express Tribune. "I am born ready for everything. I want tasks," he responded when asked if he's ready to hold key positions in the Sindh Assembly.

Clad in a crisp black kurta shalwar, the rather naïve politician sounded more like his leader Imran Khan. Sitting in party's district central office at Karimabad, Jaffrey was visibly tired.

Posters of the 26-year-old model and other party leaders were plastered all around the walls. The young politician has been lingering on his wedding due to politics. Soon, he revealed, he'll tie the knot.

PHOTO: ABBAS JAFFREY/INSTAGRAM

His entire family lives abroad while he lives alone in Karachi. "I never left showbiz. My mother had an open heart surgery and my family lives in Dallas, so I had to move there for a while," he said adding that he's still part of the showbiz industry and will try not only continue modelling along with the politics but would benefit the industry with his presence in the assembly.

"I want people to own our culture. I've seen how our culture is firstly owned abroad and then we adopt it. When our Peshawri chappal is endorsed by Paul Smith, we start adopting that," he explained adding that he plans to form a council and promote Pakistani culture and fashion industry.

When asked why he joined PTI, Jaffrey spontaneously responded that it was the only party having presence in the entire country. He then added that the most important reason is the leader of his party, who he believes is stainless in all aspects.

PHOTO: ABBAS JAFFREY/INSTAGRAM

Before getting elected as MPA, Jaffrey was already a senior vice president of district central Karachi and has served as culture secretary in Karachi cabinet of the PTI. Jaffrey also claims to have a Master's degree in two disciplines; one in Political Science and other in Criminology from University of Karachi.

The model vows to start with the most basic issues such as civic, water and health.

PHOTO: ABBAS JAFFREY/INSTAGRAM

Having little knowledge on 18th amendment and parliamentary politics, the newly elected MPA says that in Sindh local government could be empowered with pressure from the federal government. "When Imran Khan will be prime minister, there'll be pressure from the federal government for legislation and they'll be bound to work," he said.

Jaffrey further said that he's an active part of PTI on the basis of ideology. After Khan, Jaffrey’s favorite politician is Faisal Raza Abidi who was previously associated with PPP. "He's bold and speaks on front. We're bound by party policies, but he [Abidi] used to speak against the party policies," he says, adding that he will resign if he and his party fail to deliver.

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