KARACHI: The Pakistan Rah-i-Haq Party — an electoral platform for the outlawed Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) — on Tuesday claimed to have got support of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf for its key leader, Aurangzeb Farooqi, who is contesting elections on NA-238.

Former provincial minister belonging to the Pakistan Peoples Party, Haji Muzaffar Shujra, who is contesting this election as an independent candidate, also extended his support to Mr Farooqi.

It did not end here as the Rah-i-Haq Party also announced that it would support the PPP in each constituency of national and provincial assembly in Orangi Town before leaders of the key parties held a meeting with its leadership seeking their support for their electioneering.

Later, Mr Farooqi held a press conference with candidates of the parties, including Ejaz Khan Swati of the PTI, Javed Arsalan of the PML-N and Mr Shujra at the Karachi Press Club.

“These parties [PTI and PML-N] and Mr Shujra have assured me their support in NA-238 and as a goodwill gesture we will support them in their respective constituencies of provincial assemblies which fall under my National Assembly’s seat,” Mr Farooqi told the press conference. “We are thankful for their trust and this cooperation suggests that the people have faith in our leadership and together we can make this electoral process much better, transparent and peaceful.”

Earlier, in a tweet from the official account of the ASWJ, the Pakistan Rah-i-Haq Party announced its support for PPP candidates Haji Jameel Zia and Agha Zahir Shah in NA-251 and PS-119, respectively, which largely covered neighbourhoods of Orangi Town.

In other official tweets, the party released a picture of a meeting between Qari Usman of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan-Fazal (JUI-F) and Mr Farooqi at the latter’s residence. Mr Usman has sought ASWJ support in PS-114 from where he is contesting election from the platform of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2018