KARACHI - Former Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Farooq Sattar on Saturday challenged the election results of NA-245 constituency, in which his ex-colleague Amir Liaquat Hussain won while contesting election at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) platform, held on July 25.

Farooq who had recently quit his party, reached the Sindh High Court with the plea seeking null and void of notification regarding victory of Amir Liaquat from the constituency of NA-245, who had emerged victorious with 56,615 votes, and Farooq became the second higher scorer with 35,247 votes.

In his plea, Farooq claimed that around 22,000 ballot papers were found missing in NA-245 alone. He stated that Form 45 was not given to any polling agent, the election commission failed ensuring to conduct fair polling.

He pleaded the court to order Election Commission of Pakistan to null and void the victory notification of Aamir Liaquat from NA-245 until the matter hearing completes.

Farooq talked to the media after submitting the application, saying that he can prove before the election tribunal that the polls were rigged, thus he was very confidence to challenge the result of NA-245, “I hope the election tribunal will hear me,” he said.  Responding to a query, he said that his political future would be decided by his supporters and followers, adding that whatever they advise will be acceptable for him.

On September 13, Farooq resigned from the party’s Rabita Committee, the top decision making forum of the party over ‘personal reasons’, and submitted his resignation to the party. He said votes’ polled in Karachi during the July 25, polls didn’t represent right mandate of the Karachiites. The former MQM-P leader has prepared an 850-page application to be submitted to the election tribunal. Farooq had also lost the NA-247 seat to PTI candidate Dr Arif Alvi during the July 25 elections, but the seat fell vacant after Alvi’s election as the president.

On the other side, five other MQM leaders filed identical applicants challenging the election results of different constituencies, Farooq made distance with his former party leaders, who also reached court to file applications, Farooq filed his own plea while avoiding to use the MQM platform.

Amir Moeen Pirzada of MQM challenged NA-241 results and pleaded the court to order Election Commission of Pakistan to cancel the notification of the winning candidate until disposal of the plea.

Similarly, MQM’s candidate Waqar Shah who contested election from PS-97 also moved an application with the same plea.

Masood Mehmood challenged election results of PS-98, Asif Ali Khan from PS-126 and Jamal Ahmed from PS-130 also challenged the election results respectively.