38 ex-lawmakers vie for 22 NA seats

As many as 38 former lawmakers from various parties are vying for 22 seats in the National Assembly in Karachi, while two senators are also throwing their hats into the ring. A total of 1,981 candidates are also in the fray for the upcoming general elections.

As per details, former PPP MNA Jam Abdul Kareem Bajar will face off against Qadir Bakhsh of the PML-N in NA-229. A tough contest is expected in NA-230 between former MNA Syed Rafiullah and Haji Muzaffar Ali Shajra of the PML-N. In NA-231, a challenging contest awaits between former MNA Abdul Hakeem Baloch and Captain (retd) Jameel Ahmed Khan. Khan, who won the 2018 election from the same constituency on a PTI ticket, is now a nominee of the PML-N.

In NA-232, a fierce contest is expected between MQM-Pakistan's Asia Ishaq, JUP Imam Noorani Group's candidate Muhammad Owais Siddique, and independent candidate Adeel Ahmed. Siddiqui also has the backing of the PML-N and the PPP.

In NA-233, former MQM-Pakistan MPA Javed Hanif Khan will contest for the National Assembly seat against PPP's Nida Asim, Jamaat-e-Islami's Abdul Jameel Khan, Mahajir Qaumi Movement's Syed Rafiuddin, and PML-N's Zainul Abidin Ansari.

Read  Karachi all set for political thriller

In NA-234, MQM-Pakistan's Muhammad Moin Amir Pirzada, TLP's Abdul Sattar, and independent candidate Faheem Khan will engage in the electoral battle, while in NA-235, MQM's Muhammad Iqbal Khan, PPP's Muhammad Asif Khan, Jamaat-e-Islami's Merajul Huda Siddiqui, and independent candidate Saifur Rahman are expected to have a close contest.

In NA-236, MQM-Pakistan's Hasaan Sabir, Jamaat-e-Islami's Muhammad Osama Razi Khan, and independent candidate Muhammad Alamgir Khan will be in the electoral fray. In NA-237, MQM-Pakistan's Abdul Rauf Siddiqui, PPP's Asad Alam Niazi, PML-N's Rehan Qaiser Shaikh, and independent candidate Zahooruddin Mehsud, while in NA-238, MQM-Pakistan's Sadiq Iftikhar, IPP's Mahmood Baqi Maulvi, and independent candidate Haleem Adil Shaikh will be in the run.

In NA-239, PPP's Nabeel Gabol, TLP's Sharjeel Gopalani, and independent candidate Abdul Shakoor, while in NA-240, PPP's Senator Salim Mandviwala and MQM-Pakistan's Arshad Abdullah Wahra will face a tough election battle.

Read  Final candidates for NA reserved seats notified

In NA-241, a tough contest is expected between MQM-Pakistan's Farooq Sattar, PPP's Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, and PTI-backed independent candidate Khurram Sher Zaman. In NA-242, MQM-Pakistan's Mustafa Kamal, PPP's Qadir Mandokhail, and PML-N's Ghulam Shoaib are expected to face each other.

In NA-243, PPP's Abdul Qadir Patel, PML-N's Akhtar Hussain Jadoon, and MQM-Pakistan's Humayun Sultan, in NA-244, MQM-Pakistan's Farooq Sattar, Jamaat-e-Islami's Irfan Ahmed, and PPP's Abdul Bari, in NA-245, Syed Hafeezuddin of MQM-Pakistan and Muhammad Ishaq Khan of Jamaat-e-Islami, while in NA-246, a tight contest is expected between Aminul Haq of MQM-Pakistan and Hafiz Naeemur Rahman of Jamaat-e-Islami.

In NA-247, MQM-Pakistan's Khawaja Izharul Hasan, Jamaat-e-Islami's Munim Zafar, TLP's Muhammad Farooq, and independent candidate Syed Abbas Hasnain, in NA-248, MQM-Pakistan's convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Jamaat-e-Islami's Muhammad Babar Khan, and independent candidate Arsalan Khalid, in NA-249, MQM-Pakistan's Ahmed Salim Siddiqui, Jamaat-e-Islami's Mian Muslim Parvez, and independent candidate Aziz Ali Khan, while in NA-250 MQM-Pakistan's Farhan Chishti, Jamaat-e-Islami's Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, and independent candidate Muhammad Riaz Haider are expecting to have a tough battle.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st, 2024.