Sattar's nomination papers for NA-245 rejected

KARACHI: A returning officer on Tuesday rejected nomination papers filed by Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Farooq Sattar for Karachi’s NA-245 constituency. 

The RO rejected his papers for concealing two cases in his papers in which he has been declared an absconder.

Earlier, Sattar had said he is submitting nomination papers from NA-241, NA-245 and NA-247.

Denying that he ever talked about boycotting the July 25 elections, he said the party is not being given free political environment to contest the polls.

On June 11, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui as convener of Mutahidda Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) in a jolt to Sattar.

Sattar had approached the IHC against the election commission decision removing him as party convener in March this year.

On March 26, the ECP had given a verdict against Sattar in the wake of a rift within the party over the nomination of Kamran Tessori for a Senate seat. The controversy over Tessori practically divided the party into Satter-led PIB group and Siddiqui-led Bahadurabad group.

The Bahadurabad faction later filed petitions in the ECP, seeking removal of Sattar as convener with the argument that the party’s Rabita Committee had replaced him with Siddiqui by a two-third majority. It also challenged the Feb 18 intra-party polls which Sattar had won with a heavy margin.

Sattar subsequently approached the IHC against the ECP and the court on March 29 suspended the ECP’s verdict of removing Dr. Farooq Sattar as convener of MQM-P

Hearing a petition filed by Farooq Sattar, Justice Amir Farooq issued stay order against the ECP and sought response from the litigants.