Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui is a

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

politician who is the current mayor of Karachi. He was a member of the

Senate of Pakistan The Senate of Pakistan, Constitution of Pakistan, constitutionally the House of the Federation, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Pakistan. As of 2023, It has a maximum membership of 96, of which 92 are elected by the Member of th ...

from August 2017 to March 2018.

Early life and education

The son of the late senior PPP politician Fauzia Wahab (1956-2012), Murtaza has earned his Bachelors of Commerce degree from the

University of Karachi The University of Karachi (; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (which is ...

before pursuing an LLB from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

and Bar at Law from

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

, after which he became an advocate of the

Sindh High Court The High Court of Sindh () ( Sindhi: سنڌ ھائي ڪورٽ) is the highest judicial institution of the Pakistani province of Sindh. Established in 1906, the Court situated in the provincial capital at Karachi. Apart from being the highest ...

Political career

On 30 April 2015, he was inducted into the provincial Sindh cabinet of Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and was appointed as adviser to the chief minister on law. On 21 May 2015, he was given the status of minister. A petition was filed in the High Court of Sindh challenging the appointment of Wahab as adviser to the chief minister and the granting of minister's status to Wahab. The petitioner argued that Wahab became an advocate of the High Court of Sindh in June 2010, and therefore have experience of only six years. The petitioner also challenged the appointment of Wahab as chairman of the board of governors of law colleges in Karachi, saying that only provincial minister of Education or the vice-chancellor of the

can be appointed for the post. On 22 November 2016, The High Court of Sindh declared his appointment as advisor to the chief minister of Sindh as illegal. The court also nullified his chairmanship of the board of governors of law colleges in Karachi. He was elected unopposed to the

as a candidate of

Pakistan Peoples Party The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is a political party in Pakistan and one of the three major List of political parties in Pakistan, Pakistani political parties alongside the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. With a Cent ...

(PPP) on 15 August 2017. The seat had fallen vacant after the resignation of Saeed Ghani. His Senate membership was due to expire on 11 March 2018. He ran for the seat in Sindh Provincial Assembly as a candidate of PPP from Constituency PS-111 (Karachi South-V) in

2018 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 25 July 2018 to elect the members of the 15th National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies. The three major parties were Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by Imran Khan, the Pakistan Muslim ...

but was unsuccessful. He received 8,502 votes and lost the seat to Imran Ismail. On 19 August 2018, he was inducted into the provincial Sindh cabinet of Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. On 21 August, he was appointed as adviser to chief minister on law, and Anti-Corruption Establishment. On 5 September 2018, he was given the additional portfolio of information. On 5 August 2021, he was appointed as Administrator of Karachi.

Mayor of Karachi Election 2023

In the 2023 election, Murtaza Wahab and Hafiz Naeem Ur Rehman competed for the position of mayor in Karachi. Murtaza Wahab, the candidate from the

Pakistan People's Party The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is a political party in Pakistan and one of the three major Pakistani political parties alongside the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. With a centre-left political position, it is cu ...

(PPP), emerged as the apparent winner with 173 votes, while Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman from

Jamaat-e-Islami Jamaat-e-Islami is an Islamist fundamentalist movement founded in 1941 in British India by the Islamist author and theorist Syed Abul Ala Maududi, who was inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood. It is considered one of the most influential Isla ...

(JI) received 160 votes, according to unofficial results. After the unofficial mayoral results were announced, there were clashes between JI and PPP workers outside the Arts Council of Pakistan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wahab, Murtaza Living people Pakistan People's Party politicians Year of birth missing (living people) University of Karachi alumni Alumni of the University of London Members of Lincoln's Inn Mayors of Karachi 21st-century mayors