Bulletins 1200 3rd February 2018

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) is likely to suffer a major setback after the Pak Sarza­meen Party (PSP) announced to field its candidates from Sindh in the upcoming Senate election.

Mustafa Kamal-led PSP enjoys support of eight members of the Sindh Assembly, who quit the MQM and joined the PSP in March 2016 after Kamal returned to the city and shook the political landscape with startling ‘allegations’ against his former party.

Lawmakers who have joined the PSP include seven MPAs of the MQM-P — Muhammad Dilawar, Bilquees Mukhtar, Shaikh Abdullah, Irtiza Farooqi, Nadeem Razi, Mehmood Abdul Razzaq and Shiraz Waheed — and one MPA of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Hafeezuddin.

A PSP statement said that a meeting chaired by party president Anis Kaimkhani, finalised names of party candidates to be fielded in all categories for the March 3 Senate elections.

“The candidates of the PSP will obtain nomination forms on Saturday from the office of the election commission,” it added.

MQM-P is set to lose its four Senators – Barrister Farogh Naseem, Nasrin Jalil, Maulana Tanveer-ul-Haq Thanvi and Col ® Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi – who will retire this year, creating a void that throws the party in an uncertain situation, especially after the PSP announced fielding MQM turncoats for these slots.

The Senate elections are going to be held on 12 seats in Sindh — seven general, two each reserved for technocrats and women and one seat for minorities.