NA-246 by-polls: Siraj advises Altaf to withdraw his candidate in JI's favour

Urged the masses to vote for JI to make Karachi peaceful again

KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Siraj ul Haq has advised the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain to withdraw his party's candidate for the by-polls in Karachi's NA-246 constituency in the former’s favour.

Addressing party workers at a mammoth gathering on Shahrah-e-Pakistan on Sunday evening, Siraj said people of Karachi want "election to replace selection" and those who do not cast their vote on the polling day will only strengthen the hands of the forces that impose tyranny and anarchy in the city.

Criticising the MQM chief, he accused him of evolving and flourishing a culture of extortion, target killing and abductions in the city, saying that neither the US nor Britain could save the MQM from a defeat in NA-246.

Read: NA 246 by-election: After PTI, MQM and JI workers clash near Sharifabad

Siraj urged the masses to end the rule of suppression and vote for the JI to ensure that a peaceful Karachi emerged on the horizon once again.

The JI chief said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will be responsible if any "irrelevant or mischievous" person was found in the polling stations on the election day.

Read: Read to vote: PTI, JI join forces to contest NA-246 by-polls

Earlier, party’s candidate for NA-246 by-elections and JI's Naib Amir Karachi Rashid Naseem, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman and Muhammad Hussain Mehanti addressed the workers.

Both the MQM and JI have been running vigorous campaigns to claim the support of the masses in NA-246.

PTI, another contestant, has also been closely involved in drawing support from the masses with their effective electioneering.

The NA-246 seat fell vacant after Nabil Gabol, who was elected on a MQM ticket in the 2013 general elections, resigned from his seat after developing differences with the party.