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KARACHI, Oct 6: As many as 17 women in the city have shown courage and determination to contest the Oct 10 elections on general seats.
The women have been nominated by the People’s Party Parliamentarians, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the PML (N), the PML (QA), Mohajir Qaumi Movement, Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) and the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI). But except the nominee of the MQM, no contestant is expected to give a surprise result.
Seven women are contesting from six NA constituencies, as in NA-252 Najma Saeed Chawla of the PPP and Aasia Tariq of the PTI are in the field, while in NAs 244, 245, 250, 254 and 256 one woman each will face the rest of male candidates. Likewise, ten women are vying for the Provincial Assembly seats from PS-89, 91, 92, 94, 100, 101, 105, 124 and 129, as in PS-124 there are two women candidates - Fatima Ismail Advocate of the MQM and Yasmin Jehangir of the PTI.
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: The PPP has awarded tickets to Najma Saeed Chawla and Farzana Latif Advocate for NA-252 and NA-254 seats.
In NA-244, from where Riffat Jabeen is contesting on the PML (N) ticket, there are nine aspirants including two high-profile candidates - Dr Merajul Huda of the MMA (local jamaat-i-Islami chief) and the National Alliance’s Javed Jabbar, who has been federal minister three times.
The MQM has fielded Syed Haider Abbas Rizvi, while Syed Shahinsha Ali Jafri has been nominated by the PPP.
In NA-246, Begum Nasira Athar of PML (QA) is facing ten candidates, and except Rashid Nasim of the MMA, no one is very well-known, including Haji Azizullah of the MQM and Khalid Ali of the PPP.
The MQM has awarded ticket to former senator Nasreen Jalil in NA-250. Being one of the deputy conveners of the party’s coordination committee, she is one of the very well-known candidates in the political circles.
There are fourteen other aspirants in this constituency, including ex-Mayor of the city Abdul Sattar Afghani (MMA), former Sindh Governor Mamnoon Hussain (PML-N) and a prominent businessman, Wajid Jawwad (PML-QA).
Besides, a senior film artist, Syed Kamal Shah, is in the field under the banner of the PTI.
Another important candidate, though less known, is textile industrialist Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Beg who has been awarded ticket by the PPP.
In NA-252, besides Najma Chawla of the PPP and Aasia Tariq of the PTI, prominent male candidates are Mohammad Hussain Mehanti of the MMA, Abubakar Shaikhani of the PML (QA) and Mohammad Intizar Qureshi of the MQM.
In NA-254, Farzana Latif Advocate of the PPP is facing fourteen candidates, including Nawab Mirza of the MQM, while the MMA has fielded Allama Syed Zahir Siraj.
Begum Imtiaz Javed has been awarded ticket by the PAT in NA-256. She is facing 18 candidates, including Iqbal Mohammad Ali Khan (MQM), Mohammad Hashim Siddiqui (MMA), Riaz Ahmed Mazari (PPP) and the PML (N)’s Mohammad Nihal Hashmi Advocate.
SINDH ASSEMBLY: Ten women are vying for nine of the 42 Sindh Assembly seats in the city.
The MQM has awarded tickets to two women on general seats — in PS-101 and 105. Likewise, the PAT has also nominated two women (PS-89 and 92), while two women of the PTI are in the filed in PS-124 and 129. The PML (N) and the PPP each have fielded one woman in PS-91 and PS-94, respectively.
PS-124 is the only constituency where two women are in the electoral fray. They are: Fatima Ismail Advocate of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement and Yasmin Jehangir of the PTI.
Among the 15 others who matter are Syed Mukhtarul Hasan Gohar of the MMA, Syed Talib Imam of the MQM and Ghulam Mustafa Memon of the PPP.
In PS-89, Begum Fatima Bokhari is contesting on the ticket of the PAT. There are eighteen other candidates, including Hafiz A. Shakoor of the MMA, Nisar Ahmad of the MQM, Akhtar Hussain Jadoon of the PPP, and Malik Azeem Khan of the PML (N).
In PS-91, Syeda Afshan Shaukat is contesting on the PML (N) ticket. There are 13 other candidates.
Begum Shumaila of the PAT is one of the 14 candidates in PS- 92. She is facing Abdul Sattar Ansari of the MQM, Mohammad Hameed Siddiqui of the MMA, Mohammad Shabbir Qureshi of the PPP and the PML (N)’s Salman Ahmad Ansari.
In PS-94, Dr Shahida Rehmani is the PPP candidate besides 11 other aspirants.
In PS-100, the PTI has fielded Razia Majeed where she is pitted against ten male contestants, including Abdul Baqi of the MMA, Abdul Quddoos of the PPP, Adil Siddiqui of the MQM.
In PS-101, the MQM has awarded ticket to Bilqees Mukhtar, while Muzaffar Ahmad Hashmi of the MMA, Mohammad Ali Fatehyab Zaidi of the PPP.
The MQM has fielded Rehana Nasreen in PS-105, while in PS-129, Nasreen Shafique of the PTI is facing 17 candidates.
