The coalition partners in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) - are in intense negotiations to seek each other's support for their respective candidate in by-election NA-246, Karachi against Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in its bastion.
Though contacts are being made at the highest level, yet both the parties are still not willing to withdraw their respective candidates in favour of the other. The sources said that PTI chief Imran Khan on Monday telephoned JI chief and sought his party's support for Imran Ismail, the PTI candidate.
But so far, the two leaders have not reached a final decision and a meeting is also expected between the two in a day or two, the sources added.
Both the coalition partners in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa supported each other in Senate elections as well as in by-polls in the province. But NA-246, a stronghold of MQM, is more a case of constituency politics rather than national politics, the JI leadership argues and maintains that it does have a vote bank in the constituency and has a chance of winning the seat provided the vote is not split between the coalition partners.
The PTI has fielded one of its founding members, Imran Ismail to contest from the constituency against MQM's Kanwar Naveed Jamil, former Hyderabad Nazim.
However, some well informed sources told Business Recorder that both the parties, PTI and JI, have been assessing their vote bank in the constituency and may decide to field a joint candidate against the MQM but at present they are calling each other for support of their candidate.
Talking to Business Recorder, PTI vice-chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that the party leadership is in contact with the JI leadership and is trying to convince them to withdraw their candidate in favour of his party's candidate.
"The hype in NA-246 is PTI versus MQM; therefore we feel the JI should withdraw its candidate in favour of Imran Ismail to consolidate the vote bank for the joint candidate," he said.
Qureshi acknowledged that the JI has a good vote bank in the constituency and that is why they are trying to convince the JI leadership to support the PTI candidate. "The way PTI has been extending support to its coalition partner JI in KP, we expect that the JI would support our candidate in Karachi," he said, adding the PTI supported JI chief Sirajul Haq to become a Senator and some other candidates of the party in by-elections in KP as well.
He said that KP Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak and Speaker Asad Qaisar have also been in touch with the JI top leadership to get their support for by-elections in Karachi.
To a question, he clearly said that if both the parties fail to reach an agreement on a joint candidate, the PTI would not withdraw its candidate in favour of the JI.
Liaqat Baloch, JI General Secretary told Business Recorder that the party has been contesting elections from the constituency since 1970 and has also won many times; therefore they are trying to convince PTI leadership to withdraw their candidate in favour of JI candidate, Rashid Naseem.
He said that the JI has rendered many services for the city and its local organizations have also been active in almost all constituencies including NA-246.
"If the ECP succeeds in holding free, fair and transparent elections in Karachi, the JI can win not only from NA-246 but also from many other constituencies," he said.
Responding to a question, he insisted that the JI would not withdraw its candidate even if it fails to win over PTI support in the constituency.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced the schedule of the polls to be held on April 23 on the seat left vacant after the resignation of Nabeel Gabool, a former MQM member National Assembly.
Gabool, who contested the previous general elections on MQM ticket, said that he was surprised to win 140,000 votes despite low turnout on election-day. He said NA-246 is MQM stronghold but the two parties, PTI and JI, can give a tough time if they reach an understanding to field one candidate.
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