KARACHI – Renowned Pakistani cricketer Khalid Latif is set to enter politics, vying for the upcoming elections in PS-89 Malir Karachi on the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) ticket.
Latif, who represented the national team from 2008 to 2016, playing in five One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 13 T20 matches, joins a select group of former players transitioning into politics.
Among them is Abdul Hafeez Kardar, the first captain of Pakistan’s cricket team, elected as an MPA on a PPP ticket in the 1970 elections.
Akhtar Rasool, an ex-Olympian and hockey player, who captained Pakistan’s World Cup-winning team in 1982, also took part in the elections and secured an MPA seat from Lahore in the 1985 elections. Besides it, Sarfraz Nawaz, another cricketing stalwart, became an MPA from Lahore in the same elections.
TLP’s Saad Rizvi suggested Latif run against Hakeem Baloch of the PPP, yet Latif chose PS-89, competing against PPP’s Saleem Baloch and PTI-backed Ashraf Samoon.
Shoaib Haider represents Jamaat-e-Islami in the constituency. Khalid Latif has reaffirmed his dedication to the door-to-door campaign, anticipating a positive outcome.
