KARACHI: Despite extension of time for filing nomination papers till Sunday midnight, the election authorities could not finalise the list of candidates from Karachi for 20 seats of the National Assembly and 42 of the Sindh Assembly.

But the lists provided by spokespersons of political parties show either indecisiveness or rebellion by some candidates.

A close study of the list indicates that several leaders of the mainstream parties, except the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, have filed papers as independent candidates despite their known party affiliation.

When contacted, spokespersons of the PPP and PML-N said multiple candidates were allowed to file nomination papers on some seats because it was yet to be decided who would be the party’s nominee.

The situation would become clear only after party tickets were allotted to get the election symbol, they said.

PPP’s Sindh Information Secretary Syed Waqar Mehdi said his party had fielded 24 candidates for 20 NA seats and 67 for 42 PA seats from Karachi.

According to PML-N Sindh’s Secretary General Salim Zia, his party had fielded candidates for seven NA seats and 28 PA seats.

PML-F Sindh’s Secretary General Imtiaz Ahmad Shaikh said his party had fielded candidates for 14 NA constituencies in Sindh, including NA-250 (Karachi), from where industrialist Kamran Tessori would contest the election.

The candidature of Qasim Siraj Soomro (PS-70) and Jam Madad Ali (PS-81) had so far been finalised for the provincial assembly, he said.

The Majlis-i-Wahdat-i-Muslimeen, a newly registered party, has said in a press release that it had fielded 14 candidates for NA and 12 for PA seats.

MWM candidates Maulana Muhammad Hussain Karimi (NA-252), Asghar Zaidi (NA-253), Maulana Muhammad Ali Hussain (NA-258), Shakir Rajani (PA-117) and Asghar Zaidi (PA-126) have filed their papers.