KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf MNA-elect, who defeated the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan’s (MQM-P) candidate in its Azizabad, Karachi, stronghold, is an ‘absconder’ in a 20-year-old smuggling case, court documents show.
Mohammed Aslam Khan claimed 75,702 votes to win NA-254 Karachi Central-II, where MQM has its headquarters. The party has dominated the city for the past three decades.
The MQM-P’s Shaikh Salahuddin was runner-up with 48,813 votes in the July 25 elections.
However, court documents show that 20 years ago Khan absconded after being accused in a smuggling case in which two of his accomplices were convicted.
The special court of customs and taxation in Karachi tried Mohammed Azam and Hameeduddin, two of Khan’s accomplices, in December 1998.
According to the court order seen by Arab News, Khan had absconded when the judge Mohammed Sadiq Leghari handed down the judgment against his accomplices.
Khan faced charges of smuggling electronic goods worth 28.57 million rupees ($226,000), the official document said.
Firdous Shamim Naqvi, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Karachi chief, dismissed the allegations and said that Khan had not been convicted.
“He has already submitted a statement that he has not been convicted in any case. There is no conviction against this man,” Naqvi told Arab News.
He said that Khan was “a man of really good repute.”
“He had been holding a famous food festival in Karachi’s Frere Hall for the past five years. They government has been dealing with him, many companies have been dealing with him,” Naqvi said. “He is no criminal.”
PTI’s MNA-elect ‘absconded’ in smuggling case, documents claim
PTI’s MNA-elect ‘absconded’ in smuggling case, documents claim
- Muhammad Aslam Khan is accused in a smuggling case, which doesn’t disqualify him from contesting elections, PTI Karachi chief says
- Aslam Khan was to smuggled electronic goods into Pakistan about twenty years ago
Rain delays Pakistan-New Zealand Super Eights clash in Colombo
- Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat before showers halted play
- Fakhar Zaman returns as both teams seek early advantage in Group 2
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Super Eights clash against New Zealand at the Twenty20 World Cup was delayed by rain in Colombo on Saturday after captain Salman Ali Agha won the toss and elected to bat first.
The Group 2 encounter at the R. Premadasa Stadium marks the start of the tournament’s second phase for both sides, with Sri Lanka and England also in the group. The match was scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Pakistan time, but persistent showers prevented the start of play.
“Rain delays the start of the match,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a post on X.
Pakistan made one change from their final group-stage fixture, recalling Fakhar Zaman in place of Khawaja Nafay. New Zealand brought back regular captain Mitchell Santner along with Ish Sodhi and Lockie Ferguson.
Earlier in the week, Pakistan sealed their place in the Super Eights with a 102-run win over Namibia after posting 199-3, while New Zealand also advanced after finishing second in their group.
The second phase of the tournament began without former champions Australia, who failed to qualify, while Zimbabwe topped Group B with an unbeaten campaign.
With rain continuing in Colombo, officials were monitoring conditions to determine whether a shortened contest would be possible.
A washout would see both teams share points, potentially affecting semifinal calculations in the tightly contested group.
With input from AP
