ISLAMABAD, June 10: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Saturday announced that the party would fully participate in next month’s elections for the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly and issued the list of its candidates in 26 out of 41 constituencies.

This was announced by parliamentary leader of the MQM in the National Assembly Dr Farooq Sattar, Federal Minister for Housing and Works Syed Safwanullah and MNAs Kunwar Khalid Yunus and Abid Ali Umang at a news conference.

Mr Sattar said the MQM was becoming a national-level party and, therefore, it had decided to take part in the elections in Azad Kashmir for the first time.”It will be for the first time, the MQM candidates will contest elections in Azad Kashmir on the symbol of kite,” Dr Sattar said.

The MQM leader said the October 8 earthquake had exposed the real face of the religious parties, which had been deceiving the people of Azad Kashmir in the name of service to humanity. He said it was MQM chief Altaf Hussain who launched relief efforts in the earthquake-hit areas by donating Rs5 million in the President’s Relief Fund.

He said the MQM provided relief goods and aid worth Rs3.5 billion to the earthquake-affected persons.

He said the MQM ministers, advisers, MNAs, MPAs and senators took part in the relief activities with the party workers and activists.

He said victory or defeat was not the purpose of taking part in July 11 elections. Following are the names of MQM candidates:

Mohammad Imran Sheikh (LA-3); Abdul Majeed Janjua (LA-4); Mian Zubair (LA-5); Fazlur Rehman (LA-6); Mohammad Afzal (LA-7); Mohammad Iqbal Farooqi (LA-8); Sardar M. Tasnim Khan (LA-9); Mussadiq Naeem Arshad (LA-10); Mohammad Asim Janjua (LA-11); Nisar Ali Mughal (LA-12); Mohammad Farooq Khan (LA-13); Syed Majid Hussain Shah (LA-16); Mohammad Akram Khan (LA-18); Dr Mohammad Irfan Kiani (LA-19); Shah Wali Awan (LA-23); Chaudhry Mazhar Rehman (LA-24); Fida Mohammad Rathore (LA-26); Dr Ziafat Kazmi (LA-27); Mohammad Altaf Awan (LA-28); Naseer Awan (LA-29); Mohammad Tahir Khokhar (LA-30); Raja Imtiaz (LA-31); Mohammad Arif Hafeez (LA-34); Dr Hafizur Rehman (LA-35); Farooq Ahmed Lone (LA-40) and Khawaja Bashir Ahmed (LA-41).