Mustafa Kamal opposes postponement of NA-249 by-election

KARACHI: PSP leader and candidate Mustafa Kamal has opposed the postponement of NA-249 by-elections in Karachi, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

In a petition to the Election Commission of Pakistan, Mustafa Kamal has referred requests from the Sindh government and MQM seeking postponement of the election in National Assembly constituency NA-249 Karachi.

“These requests are against the ground realities, the People’s Party and the MQM have sought postponement of the election seeing their defeat in the polls,” Kamal wrote.

“According to the figures the number of COVID-19 cases in the constituency was only two till yesterday,” Kamal in his application said. “Any delay in the by election will burden the national exchequer,” he wrote.

He demanded holding the by election in NA-249 on the fixed date of April 29 under the corona SOPs.

Keeping in view the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the province, the Sindh government on Monday formally requested the ECP to postpone by-election in National Assembly constituency NA-249 Karachi.

In a letter to the ECP, the Sindh government urged the election body to postpone the scheduled by-poll in the concurrency until the coronavirus pandemic was brought under control.

The country was facing the third wave of the pandemic and COVID-19 cases rose by over seven per cent in Karachi and Hyderabad during the past week, read the letter.

Over 400 COVID-19 patients were undergoing treatment in intensive care units and UHDs of various hospitals in Karachi, it added.

During the alarming situation, corner meetings and political rallies will lead to more coronavirus infections and deaths in the metropolis, said the provincial government.

Earlier on April 15, a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) delegation had met with the Provincial Election Commissioner Sindh and demanded of the election commission to reschedule the by-polls and deploy military personnel in the constituency.

Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Miftah Ismail had also opposed the postponement of by-elections in a letter written to the ECP.