KARACHI, Feb 18: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement claimed on Monday night that its candidates were leading in 17 out of the 20 National Assembly seats in Karachi and 36 of the city’s 42 provincial assembly seats. It also said it was ahead on both Hyderabad seats of the National Assembly and the four provincial assembly seats.

It managed to win at least one of the seats where the Pakistan People’s Party was supposed to benefit from the sympathy wave following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

Television celebrity of yesteryear Khushbakht Shujaat of the MQM obtained more than 50,000 votes to defeat Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig of the PPP.

Ms Shujaat is married to Shujaat Baig, minister for education in the caretaker Sindh government.

In 2002, this constituency had gone to former Karachi mayor Abdul Sattar Afghani. After his death, the MQM had won the seat in a by-election.

According to the MQM, Dr Nadeem Ehsan won the NA-247 seat by securing over 100,000 votes.

Israrul Ibad, brother of Sindh governor Dr Ishratul Ibad, had won this constituency by securing half as many votes in 2002.

A provincial assembly seat, which the MQM had lost to the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal in 2002, fell into its lap when Mohammad Hanif Shaikh won PS-91 by obtaining over 37,000 votes.

In 2002, this constituency had gone to Hafiz Mohammad Naeem of the MQM.

MQM-backed candidates Muqeem Alam and Askari Taqwi won PS-112 and PS-113, respectively.

The MQM also won the following provincial assembly seats: PS-98 Moin Khan (over 95,000 votes), PS-101 Abdul Moiz Pirzada (over 54,000 votes), PS-102 Imamuddin Shahzad (over 97,600 votes) and PS-125 Moin Aamir (over 40,000 votes).