Daily Times

KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf PTI has swept 14 seats in the economic hub of the country, breaking the three-decade-long hold of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on the city’s electoral politics.

The PTI polled a record 990,730 votes against MQM-P’s 613,310, Tehrik-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s 378,975, Pakistan Peoples Party’s 369,311 and Mutahida Majlis Amal’s 304,976.

The party’s vote bank and share of seats are spread all over the city. It has won all four seats in East district, two each in South, Central, Korangi and West districts, and one in Malir.

In NA-237 Malir, Jamil Ahmed Khan of PTI got 33,289 votes and defeated PPP’s Abdul Hakeem Baloch, a former MNA.

In Korangi’s NA-239, Muhammad Akram of PTI secured 69,147 votes against Sohail Mansoor Khawaja of MQM-P who stood second, getting 68,811 votes. NA-241 was expected to be a safe seat of the MQM-P but the party candidate Amir Moeen Pirzada lost to the PTI ticket holder who got 26,706.

In Karachi East’s NA-242, PTI’s Saifur Rehman won by securing 27,333 votes. NA-243 was bagged by PTI chairman Imran Khan Niazi. Ali Haider Zaidi of PTI bagged 69,475 votes and won NA- 244 constituency against PML-N’s Miftah Ismail Ahmed and MQM-P’s Muhammad Abdul Rauf Siddiqui.In NA-245, controversial TV anchor Amir Liaqat Hussain secured 56,664 votes on PTI ticket and defeated MQM-P’s Farooq Sattar who got 35,247 votes.

NA-246 and NA-247 in Karachi South were won by PTI’s Abdul Shukur Shad (52750 votes) and Arif Alvi (91,020). In the former, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto was able to get only 39,325, and polled behind the TLP candidate. Two bigwigs among the runners up in NA 247 were MQM-P’s Dr Farooq Sattar and Pak Sarzameen Party’s Fauzia Kasuri.

In West district, NA-249 was won by PTI’s Mohammad Faisal Vadha who polled 34,626 votes against PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif’s 23981 votes. In NA-250, PTI’s Attaullah Khan got 36,049 vote, whereas the Fayyaz Kaim Khani of MQM-P stood second by getting 29,086 votes. In NA – 252, PTI’s Aftab Jahangir got 21065 and defeated MQM-P candidate Abdul Qadir Khanzada who got 17,858 votes.

NA-254: PTI’s Muhammad Aslam Khan won by getting 75,702 and MQM-P candidate Sheikh Salahuddin got 48,813.

NA-256: Mohammad Najib Haroon of PTI won with 89,850 votes, he defeated MQM-P’s Amir Wali Uddin Chishti who also received a large number of votes, 45575.

The PPP won two seats in Malir and one in West. In Malir’s NA-236, PPP’s Jamal Abdul Karim Karim won by getting 66,623 votes. PTI was the runner up. In NA-238, Syed Rafiullah of PPP won by securing 28,069 votes, beating Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat front Pakistan Rah-e-Haq Party’s candidate Hafiz Aurangzaib Farooqi who got 19,463.

In NA-248, West district, Abdul Qadir Patel of PPP received 35,124 votes and refeated PTI’s Sardar Abdul Aziz.

MQM-Pakistan could win a seat each in Korangi and West districts, and two in Central district.

In Korangi, it won NA-240 where its ticket holder, Iqbal Muhammad Ali Khan, got 61,165 votes.

In Central district, NA-253 was won by Osama Qadri of MQM-P who got 52,426 votes. This constituency has been a stronghold of MQM-P, it was won by Syed Haider Abbas Rizvi in 2002, by Sheikh Salahuddin in 2008 and 2013. PSP chairman Mustafa Kamal was among the contestants this year but he could secure just over 12,000 votes. In NA-255, Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui of MQM-P won with 59,807 votes. In NA-251, MQM-P’s Syed Amin ul Haq won by getting 56,888 votes and beating PTI’s Mohammad Aslam.

Published in Daily Times, August 7^th 2018.