Shehbaz Sharif, the president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), declared on Friday that he would run in the polls from Karachi’s NA-242 constituency..
The last time Shehbaz ran, he did so from Karachi’s NA-249 seat, which he lost to Faisal Vawda, the head of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) at the time.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) dismissed claims on December 23 that the MQM-P and PML-N had arranged to swap seats in NA-242 “baseless,” claiming that no seat swap had been agreed upon with the Punjab-based party in district Keamari.
Mustafa Kamal, the party’s senior deputy convenor, is the MQM-P spokesperson’s declared candidate for the seat.
Speaking at a press conference in Karachi following his meeting with the leadership of the MQM-P today, Shehbaz stated that as long as PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif was elected to power on February 8, the problem of public transportation in Karachi will be rectified.
“After February 8, the transportation issue will be resolved for good under Nawaz Sharif’s leadership,” declared the former prime minister. Voters must support Nawaz Sharif in order for him to succeed.”
He thanked the Karachi-based party for its assistance under the previous government and spoke with the MQM-P leadership about a variety of topics, including the political climate and upcoming elections. According to sources, in two to three days a committee would deliberate on the issue of seat adjustments between the PML-N and MQM.
Shehbaz added that Nawaz would put an end to the issue of water scarcity, promising to restructure Karachi and address the fundamental concerns of the populace if the PML-N came to power. Pakistan’s future would be decided by the upcoming election, he continued.
He stated that Karachi was the gateway to Pakistan and the city of lights, and that everyone needed to work together to overcome the obstacles. Why did the five- to six-year Green Line project take so long? In contrast, Metro Bus was founded in Lahore in just 11 months,” he stated.
The president of the PML-N acknowledged that throughout their 16-month tenure, the coalition government under his leadership was unable to lower “inherited inflation.” He claimed to have made numerous trips to Karachi. He went on, “The city needs to be given its due.”
The former prime minister remarked that although Karachi paid trillions of rupees in taxes, the citizens’ water was supplied by the tanker mafia. He added that the freeway between Karachi and Hyderabad had disappeared and that traffic on the main thoroughfare was moving very slowly. “The motorway will also be constructed if Nawaz Sharif became the prime minister,” he stated.
Although Karachi is the city that pays the greatest taxes and is a center for finance, shipping, and trade, he added that there are many potholes and outdated buses in this area.
Additionally, he promised to improve ties with the MQM after the latter endorsed the coalition government’s administration.
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