February 16, 2008	Saturday	Safar 08, 1429

KARACHI, Feb 15: The Pakistan People’s Party has entered into a “seat adjustment” accord in two provincial constituencies of the city.

In one case, the PPP has struck the electoral deal with a former provincial minister of the Pakistan Muslim League (Q).

The details of the “seat adjustment” accord were public at a press conference addressed by the secretary-general of the PPP’s Sindh chapter.

Under the accord, Rashid Haroon, relative of the former PPP leader the late Abdul Khaliq Juma, announced his retirement in favour of local PPP leader Rafiq Engineer in PS-109. In the 2002 election, Mr Rafiq took the seat by obtaining over 18,000 votes.

More crucially, PPP candidate Tahir Khan Bhutta announced his retirement in favour of former provincial minister Irfanullah Marwat, who is contesting as an independent candidate after having distanced himself from the PML-Q, in PS-114.

In the 2002 election, Mr Marwat, who then belonged to the National Alliance, took the seat by obtaining over 12,500 votes.