KARACHI: With just 24 hours away before electioneering comes to a halt for the NA-246 by-election, various political and religious parties announced their support for the candidates on Sunday.

The Ahle Hadith Council visited the headquarters of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and announced its support for its candidate.

The Majils-i-Wahdatul Muslimeen stated its support for the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf candidate and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz announced its “all-out” support for the Jamaat-i-Islami.

Read: Karachi's NA-246 by-poll: A three-way contest

According to a statement issued by the MQM spokesperson, the delegation of the Ahle Hadith Council was led by its head Allama Murtaza Khan Rehmani who met the MQM’s Ulema committee members and assured them of their support to Kunwar Naveed Jamil, the party’s candidate for NA-246.

Allama Rehmani appreciated MQM’s efforts in creating sectarian and religious harmony in the city and said that this was the reason they had decided to support its candidates in the by-poll.

Meawhile, addressing a press conference at the Wahdat House in Soldier Bazaar, MWM leader Ali Hussain Naqvi announced his party’s support for PTI candidate Imran Ismail, who was sitting beside him.

Mr Naqvi said that several political parties, including the MQM and the PTI, had contacted the MWM leadership and sought its support but the party decided in favour of the PTI in view of its plans for the betterment of Karachi.

He said the MWM would also take part in the PTI electioneering and appealed to voters to “vote for the PTI candidate to end the persistent fear and uncertainty prevailing in their midst”.

“The MWM and the PTI will wage a joint struggle until the ongoing sectarian violence and terrorism ends completely,” he said.

Additionally, the PML-N Sindh president Mohammed Ismail Rahu announced his party’s support for JI candidate Rashid Naseem at a press conference at the Muslim League House in which JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman was sitting beside him.

Mr Rahu said that the PML-N had decades-old close relations with the JI and was supporting the latter’s candidate on the much-hyped by-election keeping in view the better future of the city. He called upon other political parties to support JI’s candidate to bring about better social and economic changes in Karachi.

He said the PML-N would show its strength in the upcoming local government elections and elsewhere in Sindh.

The JI leader and the candidate thanked Mr Rahu for his party’s support and invited him to attend a rally in the constituency on Monday (today) which would be led by JI chief Sirajul Haq.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2015

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