MQM-P files disqualification petition against 12 defectors

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (PIB faction) leader Dr Farooq Sattar submitted on Wednesday petitions seeking disqualification of 12 lawmakers who defected from the party.

The petition, which was submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan in Karachi, sought immediate disqualification of MQM parliaments.

The names of the members stated in the petition include MPAs Naheed Bedum, Heer Sohu, Naila Munir, Saifuddin Khalid, Muhammad Kamran, Saleem Rajput, Anwar Raza, Sameeta Afzal and Yousaf Shahwani.

Moreover, names of MNAs Fouzia Hameed, Muzammil Qureshi and Mahboob Alam are also mentioned in the petition.

MQM-Pakistan also submitted a petition requesting ECP to not allow change of opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly.

The speaker of Sindh Assembly should be restricted from not changing the opposition leader, reads the petition.

In December last year, Sattar had filed reference seeking disqualification of two MNAs and nine MPAs who defected from the party.

Among the party lawmakers against whom Dr Sattar filed disqualification references included MNAs Asif Hasnain and Salman Baloch and MPAs from the Sindh Assembly Irum Azeem Farooqi, Sheikh Abdullah, Khalid bin Wilayat, Dilawar Khan and five others who recently broke away from the party.