Daily Times

As political maneuvering gains momentum for by-election in NA-249, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) delegation on Saturday visited Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Bahadurabad office to discuss joint strategy for the election.

The PTI delegation was headed by MPA Khurrum Sher Zaman while Member Provincial Assembly Sindh and Deputy Convener Kanwar Naveed Jameel headed the delegation of MQM-P. During the meeting, PTI leader Khurrum Sher Zaman requested the MQM-Pakistan delegation to withdraw their candidate in support of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf for the NA-249 by-election. “MQM-P and PTI collectively can defeat opposition from this constituency,” said Khurrum Sher Zaman.

On the occasion, Kanwar Naveed Jameel said that MQM-P has its own vote bank in NA-249 and had won election in the past from this seat.

In an interesting development, the contact was also made between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Karachi chapter leadership and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan over the upcoming NA-249 by-poll back on Thursday. As per details, both parties discussed formulating a combined strategy and fielding a joint candidate for the upcoming by-poll in the NA-249 Karachi constituency.

Meanwhile, former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Saturday called on Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto to seek support in the by-poll.

The two leaders discussed the impending NA-249 by-elections, which fell vacant after ruling party’s Faisal Vawda relinquished it for his Senate seat.

It may be noted that PML-N’s Shahbaz Sharif contested for this seat in general elections 2018 and after a close call, lost to Vawda.

In the follow-up, Abbasi reached out to Bilawal for his party’s support in the by-polls in which PML-N has fielded the former finance minister Miftah Ismael.

Bilawal has, however, told Abbasi that he would revert to the proposition once he has consulted with party leadership. The meeting was also attended by senators Sherry Rehman and Naveed Qamar and the by-polls candidate Ismael.

At least 55 candidates hailing from different parties have submitted their nomination forms to contest by-polls on NA-249, with most prominent among those being Mustafa Kamal of PSP and Miftah Ismail of PML-N.