Hafiz Naeem quits PS-129 seat to ‘respect PTI’s mandate’

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman announced on Monday that he would relinquish his seat in the Sindh Assembly, PS-129, Karachi, which he won in the February 8 general elections.

Naeem stated that the candidate supported by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had emerged victorious in the seat, not him, during a press conference in Karachi.

Asserting his stance, Naeem emphasized that he did not desire to hold a seat obtained through "charity," acknowledging the victory of the PTI-supported candidate.

He vowed to continue the legal and political battle to reclaim every seat lost by his party due to alleged "vote-rigging," stressing that the people's will cannot be altered through fraudulent means.

Despite securing victory in the Sindh Assembly seat PS-129 from Karachi Central, Naeem acknowledged the PTI-supported candidate's higher vote count, accepting their triumph and mandate.

Declaring his decision not to take oath as a Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) on the contested seat, Naeem highlighted discrepancies in the election forms, indicating discrepancies in vote counts.

He demanded transparency in the election results based on Form 45, urging the restoration of all seats won by his party.

Naeem criticized the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and rebuked the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) for allegedly celebrating the "fake mandate."

Claiming irregularities in the electoral process, Naeem highlighted alleged incidents of rigging and obstruction faced by their polling agents during the elections.

He affirmed that the decision to return the seat was a form of protest against the alleged electoral malpractices and vowed to pursue justice for their party's supporters.