LAHORE/QUETTA, Dec 8: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement has fielded 112 candidates from Punjab and 21 from Balochistan on general and reserved seats of the National Assembly and provincial assemblies.

The decisions were announced by MQM Senator Babar Khan Ghauri in Lahore and Rabita Committee members Mohammad Hussain and Mohammad Ali in Quetta on Saturday.

Mr Ghauri told a news conference that with this announcement, the MQM had launched its election campaign in Punjab.

“We have not received any offer for seat adjustment from any political party so far. The MQM will make a decision, keeping in view the ground realities, if any party contacts it,” he told reporters who were anxious to know whether the MQM would go with the PML (Q) or PPP.

The candidates from Punjab included some former members of the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) who were denied ticket by their parties.

It is for the first time that the MQM has fielded candidates from Punjab.

Mr Ghauri announced 45 candidates for the National Assembly and 68 for the Punjab Assembly. The party also fielded four candidates each for seats reserved for women in the national and the provincial assemblies. One candidate was nominated for a minority seat.

A former PML (Q) MNA, Tahira Asif, was awarded ticket for NA-126, Lahore.

A former PPP leader, advocate Amanullah Khan, was given ticket for PP-64, Faisalabad.

A majority of the candidates hail from the cities of southern Punjab — Rahimyar Khan, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan.

The MQM senator said the candidates belonged to the middle and working classes. Their selection reflected the party’s policy of empowering the poor and middle classes and to introduce a new political culture in Punjab, he added.

He said the party had been facing numerous problems because those in power in Punjab did not want the middle class to become a threat for them.

On the possibility of an electoral alliance with the PPP, Mr Ghauri said: “If at all it (PPP) contacts us, a decision to have a seat adjustment with it will be made keeping in mind the past political situation,” he said.

He said the MQM was against expelling people from a province. But, when reminded of the expulsion of Imran Khan and deposed Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry from Karachi, he said the decisions were taken in keeping with the situation.

BALOCHISTAN: The MQM Rabita Committee members told a press conference in Quetta that the tickets had been awarded to the honest and dedicated workers.