Karachi: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday defeated the PDM-backed MQM-P on the NA-245 seat that fell vacant after the untimed death of Dr Asmir Liaquat Hussain.
According to unofficial results, PTI’s Mahmood B. Maulvi secured 29,475 votes, defeating MQM-P’s Moeed Anwar, who bagged 13,193 votes. Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) Mohammad Ahmed Raza came third with 9,836 votes.
Dr Farooq Sattar, the disgruntled leader of MQM-P and founder of the MQM restoration committee who was contesting as an independent candidate, also failed to make any impact and managed to secure only 3,479 votes.
Although the voter turnout was significantly low compared to the 2018 general elections, it proved to be enough for the PTI to retain its mandate in the constituency, gain confidence and flex muscles before the local government elections that are scheduled to take place on August 28.
Former federal minister and the party’s Sindh chapter president Ali Zaidi on Sunday tweeted that the people of Karachi still stand with Imran Khan.
“The result of NA-245 proves that the people of Pakistan are behind Imran Khan. If the imported government makes any foolish move to arrest Imran Khan, I fear the people of Pakistan would block the whole country,” Ali Zaidi said, adding an image of the FIR lodged against Imran Khan.
کراچی میں #NA245 کا نتیجہ اس بات کا واضح ثبوت ہے کہ قوم عمران خان کے ساتھ مضبوطی سے کھڑی ہے۔
اگر اس #امپورٹڈ_حکومت_نامنظور نے عمران خان کو گرفتار کرنے کا کوئی احمقانہ قدم اٹھایا تو مجھے خدشہ ہے کہ پوری قوم احتجاج میں ملک کو مکمل طور پر بند کر دے گئ۔#پاکستان_کپتان_کے_ساتھ pic.twitter.com/m2x2GDJb5o
— Ali Haider Zaidi (@AliHZaidiPTI) August 21, 2022
On July 20, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) postponed the 2nd phase of local government (LG) elections and by-polls on NA-245 due to the weather conditions and Muharram Al Haram.
The decision to postpone the elections was taken in a meeting presided over by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja.
Following the announcement, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman announced to stage a protest outside the office of the provincial Election Commission on July 22.
The JI Karachi chief alleged that the provincial election commission was an extension of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), demanding that the LG polls should be held on the scheduled date.
Read: MQM-P, PPP, GDA ‘agree’ to delay LG elections in Sindh
