PTI emerges as the biggest party in Karachi

KARACHI: As election results started to pour in after the July 25 polls, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) surprised all by grabbing 13 out of 21 National Assembly seats from the country’s economic hub Karachi, ARY News reported on Friday.

Once considered a Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) stronghold, the city’s populace had to choose between Kamal’s Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP), the newly formed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Imran Khan’s PTI.

Though a number of analysts thought that the weakening of MQM and a possible alternative like PSP would directly benefit the PPP, Sindh’s former ruling party which also has its influence in the province’s capital, the final results were a shocker.

The city, considered the country’s economic hub, vehemently voted for PTI and gave it 13 out the 21 National Assembly seats from the metroppolis.

PTI chief Imran Khan beat MQM’s Ali Raza Abidi in NA-243, Aamir Liaquat took NA-245, Arif Alvi was declared victorious in the NA-247, Najeeb Haroon took NA-256. As if this was not enough, in many of the constituencies, the runner up candidates were not from MQM and PPP but from the TLP.

In one of the biggest upsets in the July 25 polls, PTI beat PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in the NA-246 constituency, a constituency which comprises Lyari, where the PPP was the strongest party.

PTI’s Abdul Shakoor Shad not only won from NA-246 against Bilalwal but with such a heavy margin that Bilawal stood at third position.

TLP’s Ahmad Bilal Saleem was the runner up who secured 42345 votes against Shad’s 52750 votes.

MQM, however, managed to grab four seats including the NA-255 constituency where its chief Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui was contesting against PTI’s Mehmood Moulvi but PSP couldn’t even manage to get a single seat from the city.