KARACHI, Jan 6: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) have entered into a seat adjustment agreement on a national and a provincial assembly seats in Karachi, apparently in violation of an earlier accord between the latter and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

“We have reached a seat adjustment accord with the MMA candidates on NA-253 and PS-126,” PML-Q leader and candidate from PS-126 Haleem Adil Shaikh told Dawn on Sunday. An announcement in this regard was made at a joint meeting held on Abul Hasan Ispahani Road in Gulshan-i-Iqbal on Sunday. A central leader of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F), local leaders and the candidates of both parties and their supporters were also present.

The PML-Q candidate on national assembly seat NA-253, Raja Sultan Shahab, announced his retirement in favour of MMA candidate Maulana Abdul Karim Abid while the MMA candidate on PS-126 Qasim Shah would stand down in favour of PML-Q candidate Haleem Adil Shaikh.Both MMA and PML-Q candidates were reluctant to call it an adjustment between their parties as they insisted that it was purely a “local seat adjustment” for which they had permission from their respective leaderships.

“Our seat adjustment is with Haleem Adil Shaikh and not with the Q-League,” Maulana Abid said, adding: “We have no plans of seat adjustment on the national or provincial level with them (Q-League).”

In the 2002 general election, MMA candidate Maulana Asadullah Bhutto and Younus Barai were elected on NA-253 and PS-126, respectively.

Maulana Abid said the adjustment was not against any particular party and it was only aimed at securing the maximum number of votes from the two constituencies.

Mr Shaikh said the seat adjustment was reached on Dec 27 but at that time it was not revealed due to the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

The accord was seen as a clear violation of an earlier seat adjustment agreement between the PML-Q and the MQM. On Dec 25, ex-chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim and MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar unfolded their seat adjustment agreement, according to which the PML-Q would retire its candidates in favour of the MQM on all Karachi national and provincial assembly seats except NA-239 and PS-89, PS-90, PS-93, PS-114 and PS-126.

But Mr Shaikh said the federal and provincial leaderships had allowed him to make seat adjustment on PS-126 with anyone when they announced that they were leaving the constituency open. However, he said his leadership did not approach Raja Shahab, the candidate on NA-253, to withdraw in favour of the MQM candidate.

He, however, said that this seat adjustment accord would not affect the MQM-PML-Q relations and they would remain in coalition along with the JUI-F after winning the Feb 18 elections.

Provincial secretary-general of the PML-Q Nadir Akmal Leghari told Dawn that no talks were being held with the MMA for a seat adjustment on the provincial level. “It is a local arrangement between two candidates and cannot be called an agreement between the two parties,” he said.

Hyder Abbas Rizvi and Faisal Subzwari of the MQM are contesting election on NA-253 and PS-126, which comprise areas including Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Sohrab Goth and some other suburban areas. The MQM lost both seats in the 2002 general election.

Despite repeated attempts, MQM leaders Dr Farooq Sattar or Babar Ghauri could not be contacted to get their party version on this seat adjustment.