MQM-P 'withdraws candidate' in favour of Shehbaz Sharif for Karachi's NA-242

• PML-N to field its candidates on five National Assembly seats.
• MQM-P candidates to contest polls for NA and PA seats in NA-231. 
• MQM-P to field its candidates on provincial seats from NA-242. 

LAHORE: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has entered seat adjustment with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for three National Assembly (NA) constituencies, including NA-242, where the former ruling party is fielding ex-prime minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The PML-N president was cleared by the election tribunal to contest upcoming general elections, slated to take place on February 8, from district Keamari of Karachi, which was once a stronghold of MQM-P.

Sources told Geo News on Tuesday that apart from Shehbaz, PML-N will field its candidates on five NA seats — including NA-229, 230, and 239 — as well as 11 provincial assembly seats within these constituencies.

Meanwhile, the MQM-P candidates would contest polls for the national and provincial assembly seats from Malir’s NA-231 constituency, they said.

The sources added that the Karachi-based party will field its candidates on the provincial seats within the NA-242 constituency

The PML-N would also contest for NA seats in Mirpurkhas, Nawabshah, and Sukkur, they said.

On December 29, Shehbaz announced filing his nomination papers for the upcoming general elections from Karachi’s NA-242 constituency, where MQM-P Senior Deputy Convener Mustafa Kamal had also filed their documents.

Shehbaz had contested from the NA-249 constituency of Karachi in the 2018 general elections which he lost to the then-Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Faisal Vawda by a slight margin.