People gather outside a house in Mominabad which was destroyed when a bomb went off last Friday near ANP’s corner meeting.
In the 2002 elections, the competition for NA-241 was neck-and-neck between Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) candidate Muhammad Laeeq Khan and Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) Ferozuddin Rehmani.
In the end, Khan, with the support of Jamaat-e-Islami and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazalur Rehman (JUI-F) won the seat, beating his closest rival by a narrow margin of 479 votes.
In 2008, election, MQM candidate SA Iqbal Qadri won the seat quite handily, defeating his closest competitor - ANP’s Zarbali Syed - by a margin of over 57,000 votes. Back then MMA had split and JI had decided to boycott the elections. This meant another major contender which could cut into the vote banks of MQM and ANP was absent.
This time around, MQM has again allotted its ticket for NA-241 to Qadri, who is a lawyer by profession and has been associated with the party since 1992. Qadri also won PS-96 in the 2002 elections. Qadri is confident that he’ll sweep the contest for the seat again, claiming that ethnic boundaries are no longer relevant.
The other hot contender - Muhammad Laeeq Khan from JI - is also a familiar face for the voters of the constituency where he was elected to power. This time around, he is returning to the arena with the support of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F). Khan has been associated with JI since his college years.
ANP, which has a solid vote bank in the Pashtun-dominated areas of NA-241, has allotted its ticket to Syed Karam Darwesh, a fresh face contesting the elections for the very first time. Darwesh’s father Syed Sakhi Darwesh is one of the senior leaders of Pashtuns in Karachi who has political clout in PS-93. Because of this Darwesh is expected to give tough competition to Qadri.
Nineteen other parties, including PPP, PTI and JUI-F have also fielded candidates for this seat, but MQM has a very firm vote bank in the constituency. The other parties have pockets of support and are most likely to cut into each others’ power.
PS-93
This provincial assembly seat covers the areas of Metroville, Mastan Chali, Bawani Chali, Pathan Colony, Banaras, Frontier Colony, Noorani Mohallah and SITE town’s Sector 4-D, 5-D and 5-E. Most residents of this constituency are Pashtuns. Former provincial labour minister Ameer Nawab won the seat in 2008 as an ANP candidate. However, the party has now given its ticket for the seat to Bashir Jan, the general secretary of ANP’s Sindh division. Though he appears to be one of the strongest contenders for the seat, his party’s corner meeting in Orangi Town’s Quaid-e-Awan Colony on Friday night was attacked by militants. ANP has also received other threats, which might derail its campaign in the area. Others belief it may generate sympathy vote for the party. JI’s Abdur Razzaq, who defeated Jan in local bodies’ election, is again expected to give him a tough time in the upcoming polls.
PS-94
This constituency covers the areas Al-Fateh Colony, Haryana Colony, Al-Farooq Society, Miraj-un-Nabi Colony, Sector 11-A and D, Muhammad Nagar, Islam Nagar, Aziz Nagar, Baba Willayat Ali Shah and Iqbal Baloch Colony and Faqir Colony. Most residents of this area belong to the Urdu-speaking community. This provincial assembly constituency also has mixed ethnicity spots where the Baloch are in a majority. MQM’s Raza Haider had won the seat in 2008, but he was gunned down in August 2010. MQM’s Saifuddin Khalid handily won the seat in the by-elections. Khalid will again represent MQM and contest against ANP Amir Shahzad, PPP Rashid Yousuf Baloch, PTI Asif Aziz and Mukhtar Bin Hamid of JI will face Khalid.
Down memory lane
Ahmed Ali, a 40-year old resident of the area states that the upcoming elections won’t be like the ones in the past. He believes this with unwavering confidence.
“People will not vote for those who left them at the mercy of God when extortionists and target killers roamed the streets like kings. Two election seasons have come and gone. Despite all the promises, only extortion threats and lawlessness have risen.”
His message for candidates is simple: if you show you can perform, you earn votes.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 1st, 2013.
COMMENTS (3)
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ET and rest of the media is not answerable to anyone. So in this situation, don't expect these media people to be neutral. This is the season of making money from the politicans. Media is as corrupt as any other organization in Pakistan.
I don't think PTI can win any seat from this region. I expect them to get votes but not in a region which can threaten the vote bank of MQM.
Inshallah it will be MQM again winning this NA seat and it will be a close contest on PS-93 between MQM and ANP.
I live in Metrovile SITE area..these people who write these articles are amazingly dont know any thing on the ground..an analysis on who won before or who had contested before is irrelevant in this constituency...this is a power packed area of PTI supporters from pakhtoons to punjabis to hazara walls to urdu speakings..Please do visit the area before when ever you write article about any constituency...it will give the present picture not the past of who won it or who lost it...this PS93 is clean sweep for PTI..