Farooq Sattar decides to challenge victory of Aamir Liaquat in NA-245

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Farooq Sattar says he has decided to challenge the election results of NA-245 constituency, won by PTI leader Aamir Liaquat Hussain in the July 25 elections.

“I have proofs to challenge the result of NA-245 and I hope the election tribunal will hear them,” he said while speaking to media today. The MQM-P leader has prepared a 850-page application to be submitted to the election tribunal.

Aamir Liaquat had emerged victorious from NA-245 with 56615 votes, leaving behind Farooq Sattar who came on second with 35,247 votes.

He claimed in his petition that around 22,000 ballot papers were found missing in NA-245 alone. The petitioner demands that the victory notification of Aamir Liaquat from NA-245 be declared void until the case hearing completes.

He said his political future would be decided by the public, adding “whatever the people decide will be acceptable to me.”

On September 13, Sattar resigned from the party’s Rabita Committee, the top decision making forum of the party over ‘personal reasons’, and submitted his resignation to the party.

His resignation came after a week when he publicly stated that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf offered him to contest the upcoming by-elections from  NA-247 on the party ticket.

“I am consulting my close friends over the offer,” he had said while speaking to the media outside the ECP last week.

Sattar had also lost the NA-247 seat to PTI candidate Dr Arif Alvi during the July 25 elections, but the seat fell vacant after Alvi’s election as the president.

A week after the general elections, Sattar had claimed that the mandate of Karachi voters was ‘snatched’ and he demanded re-election in the metropolis.

He said votes’ polled in Karachi during the July 25 polls didn’t represent right mandate of the Karachiites.

Earlier, the Sindh High Court had rejected a petition seeking disqualification of Sattar. The petition was pending with the court for some time from election days.

The counsel of the Election Commission of Pakistan told the court that the polls had taken place and Mr. Sattar lost from his constituency, hence plea to disqualify the MQM-P leader should be disposed of.

Petitioner Iqbal Kazmi had contended in his petition that Sattar had concealed 23 cases against him in his nomination papers while he was declared absconder in a few other cases as well.