Ex-PDM allies in poll faceoff

PML-N, MQM-P field candidates in 17 out of 22 NA constituencies

KARACHI:

The candidates of Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Awami National Party (ANP) are competing against each other in the general elections 2024 in various national and provincial constituencies of Karachi.

The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) a conglomerate of parties formed to oust Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government could not sustain and they have pitted candidates against each other, which, according to political pundits would eventually benefit a single party.

Until a few weeks ago, the top leadership of PML-N was trying to woo MQM-P for an electoral alliance against Pakistan Peoples Party, the ruling party in Sindh, but the meetings failed to bear fruit.

PML-N, with its traditional electoral symbol of tiger, has pitted candidates at 18 out of 22 National Assembly constituencies in the Karachi division, facing MQM-P on 17.

On the rest of the four seats, the PML-N has supported Shah Owais Siddiqui Noorani of Jamiat Ulema Pakistan (JUP-Noorani) on one seat and Noorul Haq of Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl candidates on NA-239.

Meanwhile, MQM-P has fielded its candidates in all constituencies except for three seats in the National Assembly. One such constituency is the Lyari seat NA-239 where neither the PML-N nor the MQM-P has nominated a candidate and both are supporting Noorul Haq of JUI. Furthermore, seat adjustments are anticipated for the provincial seats PS-106 and PS-107 in the said constituency.

Lyari, a political hotbed, has PPP candidate Nabil Gabol, Tehreek Labaik Pakistan (TLP) candidate Sharjeel Gopalani, Jamaat-e-Islami's Fazlur Rehman Niazi, Central Muslim League candidate Hamza, and JDA candidate Shaista Ameer and others in the run.

Abdul Shakoor Shad, who had defeated Bilawal Bhutto Zardari from Lyari on a PTI ticket in the 2018 general elections, was competing as an independent.

The candidates vying for the NA-229 Malir seat are MQM Pakistan's Fouzia Hameed, PML-N Qadir Bakhsh Kalmati, and ANP Sajid Mehmood. The candidates for the NA-230 Malir seat are Haji Muzafar Ali Shujra of the PML-N, Asif Ali of the ANP, and Muhammad Ali Shah of the JUI. This indicates that the PDM parties are running against one another in this constituency.

Read also: MQM, PML-N agree on seat adjustment

The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) Aurangzeb Khan, the ANP's Abdul Qayyum, and the PML-N's Captain (retd) Jameel Ahmed Khan are also competing in the NA-231 Malir constituency. PPP, PML-N, and Imam Noorani (JUP-IN) are supporting Shah Owais Noorani on NA-232 Korangi against MQM-P's Aasia Ishaq.

In NA-233, Korangi, Zain Ansari of PML-N, and Javed Hanif of the MQM-P are face to face, while JUI and GDA have not fielded their candidates in this constituency. No seat adjustment took place between MQM-p and PML-N in the NA-234 Korangi seat either, where Amir Moin Pirzada of MQM-P and Senator Saleem Zia of PML-N are competing with each other. JUI and ANP have not fielded candidates in this constituency. However, Dilawar Gulzar of the GDA is in the race.

Sharafat Khan of the PML-N has been given a ticket in NA-235 East, whereas Muhammad Iqbal Khan is the candidate of MQM-P. On NA-236, Hassan Sabir of MQM-P, Syed Mushtaq Hussain of GDA and Parveen Basheer of PML-N are in the race.

Abdul Rauf Siddiqui of MQM-P, Ahmed Zaman of the ANP and Rehan Qaiser Shaikh of the PML-N, are in the run for in NA-237 seat. However, MQM-P, PML-N and JUI-F did not field candidates in favour of GDA candidate Irfanullah Marwat on the provincial seat PS-105 of this constituency.

In NA-238, candidates from GDA, MQM-P, PML-N and ANP face off against one another. The PML-N, GDA, and MQM-P candidates are competing for the seat of NA-240 South as well. PML-N and GDA have issued tickets to their candidates for the competition with Farooq Sattar in NA-241.

Khawaja Ghulam Shoaib of the PML-N and Arshad Sohail of the ANP are competing against Mustafa Kamal in NA 242 Keamari. On NA-243, MQM and PML-N are also in competition with one another. MQM, PML-N and ANP are also facing each other on NA-244 West. JUI, MQM, and ANP are on NA 245 West, while MQM and ANP are facing each other in NA-246 West. In NA-247 Central, MQM, NNL, and GDA are competing with each other. MQM, PML-N, GDA, and NAP are facing each other in NA-249 Central. MQM, PML-N, GDA, and ANP are opposite in NA-250 as well.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17^th, 2024.