JI's Hafiz Naeem forfeits PS-129 Sindh Assembly seat

JI leader gives up seat in favour of PTI candidate

KARACHI:

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rahman has announced that he is forfeiting the PS-129 Sindh Assembly seat in favour of the PTI-backed candidate. 

Naeem had won from PS-129 Karachi Central VIII with 26,296 votes with PTI-backed independent candidate Saif Bari secured 11,357 votes.

In a press conference, Naeem stated that PTI-backed candidate Saif Bari secured 11,357 votes and that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had altered the results.

"I give up this seat," announced Naeem and added that "independent candidate Saif Bari won in a genuine manner, whose votes were reduced to 11,000 from 31,000”.

He also claimed that he had won more than 30,000 votes but as per Form 47 issued by the electoral watchdog, he won 26,000 votes. 

"After the protest against the forged result, the ECP corrected my vote count to 30,000;" added Naeem.

Read: ECP failed to hold fair elections: JI

He further clarified that despite bagging 30,000 votes, the PTI-backed candidate won the seat with a higher number of votes.

The JI leader accepted that the PTI-backed independent candidate won the seat, stating that the party would also acknowledge the mandate of MQM-P if they win honestly.

However, he criticised the MQM-P and said their stance never favoured the party in winning seats and they could "not even win the counselor's seat with such poor reputation".