Daily Times

The hundreds of candidates belonging to MQM Pakistan, Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan People’s party, Muslim League-N are contesting for 22 National Assembly seats in Karachi division where tough contests are expected in February 08 general election.

Almost all political and religious parties and the independent candidates have already started their election campaign in the city’s seven districts, South, East, West, Central, Malir, Korangi and Keamari.

Out of hundreds of the candidates, the highest number, 120 candidates are in the run for four NA seats in district East, followed by 113 vying for five NA seats in district Central, 87 on three NA seats in Korangi, 76 on three seats of district South, 72 on three NA seats in district West, 65 on three NA seats in district Malir and 48 candidates are contesting elections on two National Assembly seats in district Keamari.

He Muttahida Qaumi Movement- Pakistan’s Convenor Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui was contesting election on NA- 248 in Central district against JI’s Mohammad Babar Khan, Mohammad Hassan Khan of PPP and an independent candidate Arsalan Khalid while Dr Farooq Sattar is contesting election NA-241 in district South against Mirza Ikhtiar Baig of the PPP and an independent candidate Khurram Sher Zaman and Syed Mustafa Kamal is contesting election on NA-248 in Central district against Qadir Mandokhel of PPP, Jammat Islami’s Fazal Had and PML-N’s Khwaja Shoaib.

In district South’s National Assembly constituency NA-239, Nabil Gabol of the PPP, Fazal-ur-Rehman Niazi of the Jamaat-e-Islami and others.

MQM-Pakistan’s Dr Arshad Vohra, PPP’s Saleem Mandviwalla, Syed Abdul Rasheed of the JI, Haleem Adil Sheikh’s brother Aleem Adil and several others are in the run from NA-240.

In district West, Abdul Qadir Patel of the PPP, PML-N’s Akhtar Jadoon, Shiraz Jadoon of the JI, Humayun Sultan of the MQM-P and an independent candidate Shujaat Ali Khan are contesting the polls on NA-243.

MQM-P’s Dr Farooq Sattar is also contesting another National Assembly seat NA-244 where former MNA Aftab Jahangir, JI’s Irfan Ahmed and others are in the field.

In district Central Jamaat Islami Karachi’s Emir Hafiz Naeem Rehman is contesting election on NA-246 against MQM Pakistan’s former federal Minister Syed Aminul Haq and others.

MQM-Pakistan’s Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hassan is in the run from NA-247 against Monem Zafar Khan of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Naheed Parveen of the PML-N, PPPP’s Sheikh Maaz Feroz and Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan’s Mohammad Farooq.

In district South, Nabil Gabol of Pakistan People’s party is in the run on NA-239 against Jamaat-e-Islami’s Fazal Rehman Niazi and others while in Malir, Keamari and Korangi districts Jam Abdul Karim Bijar of PPP, MQM’s Fouzia Hameed, Qadir Bux of PML-N, an independent candidate Haleem Adil Shaikh and others were in the contest.