KARACHI, Oct 16: Muttahida Qaumi Movement candidate Mohammad Rehan Hashmi on Tuesday returned unopposed from the NA-245 seat of the Karachi district central constituency.

The provincial election commissioner, Sono Khan Baloch, told Dawn that Mr Hashmi returned unopposed when two other candidates Jamal Ahmad and Javed Shaukat withdrew from the byelection.

The national assembly seat had fallen vacant with the disqualification of MQM legislator Dr Farhat Mehmood Khan who was unseated along with 11 other lawmakers by the apex court for having dual nationality.

In Sindh, two other lawmakers Dr Ahmad Ali Shah of the PPP from the Sindh Assembly seat PS-21 Naushahro Feroze and Nadia Gabol of the MQM who returned to the Sindh Assembly from the reserved woman seat were also affected from the judgment of the apex court.

Associated with the MQM for the past 22 years, 38-year-old Rehan Hashmi is a senior worker of the North Nazimabad sector of the party’s organisational structure.

Currently working at a private organisation, Mr Hashmi did obtained masters in international relations from Karachi University and then studied business administration at a private university.

The NA-245 seat consists of North Nazimabad, Buffer Zone, some areas of North Karachi and parts of Nazimabad.

For the PS-21 seat, there are 19 aspirants in the run as all nominations submitted by the candidates were accepted and no one filed any appeal against acceptance of their papers, said sources in the election commission.

Of these 19 candidates, six are from the PPP, six are independent, two are from PPP(SB), two from the NPP and one each from the PML-F, the JUI-F and the JUI-S.

The last date for the withdrawal of the candidature is Oct 18 while polling will be held on Nov 17.

According to the election commission, the elections will be held according to the newly prepared electoral lists which had already been dispatched by the National Database Registration Authority (Nadra) to the returning officers in the concerned constituencies.

While the candidates are allowed to hold public meetings at fixed places notified by the authorities, no candidate is permitted to take out a rally in the constituency.