KARACHI, Jan 22: Forty-five candidates have filed their nomination papers for by-elections on six vacant seats of the Sindh Assembly scheduled to be held on Feb 18.

The six provincial assembly seats — four in Karachi (PS-101, 103, 113 and 115) and two in the interior of Sindh (PS-73 Jamshoro; PS-84 Thatta) — fell vacant after as many lawmakers — four belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and two from the Pakistan People’s Party — resigned instead of submitting affidavits to the election commission about dual nationality.

As Tuesday was the last day for submission of nomination papers, the election commission issued a constituency-wise list of candidates.

According to the list, 16 candidates filed papers for PS-73. They are Sikandar Ali (independent), Ghulam Ali (MQM), Ghulam Nabi Channa (MQM), Advocate Ashique Hussain Solangi (independent), Eng. Khalid Hussain (independent), Roshan Ali (Sindh United Party), Dodo Khan (Independent), Murad Ali Shah (PPPP), Asif Ali Shah (independent), Habibullah Rind (PML-N), Pir Jan Muhammad (independent), Syed Muhammad Ali Shah (independent), Atta Muhammad Rind (independent), Ghulam Shabir Sahito (independent), Muhammad Rafique Khan (independent) and Raza Muhammad Gaincho (independent).

Fourteen candidates have applied for PS-84. Their names are Muhammad Hassan Jakhro (independent), Neelam Yasmeen Abassi (independent), Ghulam Abass Attai (independent), Manzoor Ahmed Khushik (independent), Ahmed Ali (independent), Sadiq Ali Memon (PPPP), Shamus-ul Nisa (PPPP), Imtiaz Ahmed Qureshi (PPPP), Akber Jokhio (independent), Abdul Hameed Shaikh (MQM), Jamaluddin Qureshi (MQM), Mehar Ali Shah (MQM), Abdul Wahid Brohi (independent) and Ghulam Akber Jatoi (PML-N).

For Karachi’s PS-101, three candidates —Jamal Ahmed, Javed Shaukat and Syed Absar-ul-Hassan — filed nomination papers and they all belong to the MQM.

Four candidates — Sohail Ahmed Jamil, Nadeem Hidayat Hashmi, Muhammad Sajid Qureshi and Shahbaz Ahmed Ghori — filed their papers for PS-103, Karachi, and they all are affiliated with the MQM.

Five candidates applied for contesting by-election on PS-113. Three MQM candidates are Muhammad Ali Rashid, Jamal Kazim and Aamir Rashid, while two others — Saleem Zia and Muhammad Anwer Khan Niazi — belong to the PML-N.

Three candidates filed their nomination papers for contesting by-polls on PS-115 and they all belong to the MQM. Their names are Talha Asif Taufiq, Arshad Abdullah and Aftab Qamar.—APP