Boycotts: Karachi votes amidst ‘hijacked’ polls

Political parties accuse MQM of ‘taking over’ polls, several boycott elections while others demand re-polling.

The excitement with which Karachi woke up early on Saturday to cast votes saw a damper as polling was delayed and massive reports of rigging poured in. By afternoon, several political and religious parties announced their boycott while others insisted on re-polling.

One of the first to gather the media was Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), which suffered a major setback when polling failed to start in its strongest seat - NA-250 - until well after noon. PTI Karachi president Dr Arif Alvi, who is contesting from the same constituency, accused the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) of hijacking the elections in Karachi by beating up its polling agents and kicking them out of polling stations.

“The MQM activists were deliberately selected as polling staff so they would not turn up and create a shortage of staff,” he alleged. “Ballot boxes and stamps reached stations after three hours.”

Meanwhile, leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz also held a press conference where Ali Akbar Gujjar, the party’s contestant for PS-119, announced their boycott in the city. “I was illegally picked up by the Rangers,” he claimed.

PPP workers kidnapped

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders also came out against its former allies and accused the MQM of rigging the polls in Karachi. “It was pre-planned conspiracy due to which the election staff could not reach the polling stations on time,” said PPP Sindh general secretary Taj Haider.

Haider pointed out that their election agents were forced to leave certain stations. “The armed wing of a political party occupied most of the polling stations in Clifton, Malir Kharadar, Mithadar and Orangi Town,” he said. Haider did not hesitate to name the party either. “Everyone knows who can rig the polls in Karachi - it’s the MQM.” He clarified that the party will not boycott the polls but demanded a re-election.

Apart from the MQM, he also alleged that some men working for Arbab Ghulam Rahim kidnapped a PPP candidate in Tharparkar.

ANP to mourn for three days

The Awami National Party (ANP) Sindh announced three days of mourning over the death of its activists in the Landhi blast but appealed its activists to remain peaceful. At a press conference in Mardan House, Sindh chief Shahi Syed said that the party will not boycott the elections. “Today, when other parties will be counting their seats and celebrating, the ANP will be counting its martyrs and those who were injured,” he said, adding their activists will be unable to cast their votes when they spend their day in hospitals and graveyards.



JI goes on strike Monday

The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) called for a strike on May 13 to protest the extensive rigging across Karachi and Hyderabad. The party also announced it will boycott the elections. “All those forces who helped the MQM take over the polling stations allowed it to trample down the democratic process and dig a grave for Pakistan,” said JI chief Syed Munawar Hasan.

“Rigging is taking place at every polling station in Karachi,” said JI Karachi chief Muhammad Hussain Mahenti, adding that the hijacking began right from the beginning when the election officials and the material failed to arrive. “The presiding officers as well as most of the polling staff were activists of the MQM who were earlier infiltrated by the party in the city government and the water board.” In the evening, a large number of JI activists and leaders held a sit-in outside the election commission’s provincial office, which continued till late evening.



Meanwhile, the Pakistan Sunni Tehreek (PST), Majlis-e-Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen and Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan also boycotted the elections in Karachi and Hyderabad. The party leaders, at a press conference, said the ECP failed to deliver free and fair elections.

After the unrest in Landhi, which is a stronghold of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement - Haqiqi (MQM-H), the party also decided to boycott the elections and support JI’s strike call. At a press conference in DHA, MQM-H chief Afaq Ahmed said that the MQM did not let our polling agents sit in polling stations held their agents hostage at gunpoint. They also handed out stamped ballot papers to our voters, he said.

MQM denies

With all fingers pointed at the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the party announced its fair share of disappointments with the electoral process and decided to boycott the NA-248 Lyari seat.

At a hurriedly called press conference on Saturday, MQM leader Nabeel Gabol announced he will boycott his constituency, claiming that the Lyari Amn “gangsters” had taken over the polling stations.

“Our polling agenda was kidnapped and the elections commission’s presiding officer was not allowed to sit,” said Gabol. Nearly 65 polling stations in Lyari were hijacked, he added. MQM provincial candidates from PS-108 and PS-109 also boycotted the elections, and said that they would all appeal to the election tribunal on Monday and demand re-polling.

Responding to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf accusations of blatant rigging in NA-250, Gabol insisted the MQM was the worst-affected on Karachi’s most prestigious constituency. “We are the most dominant party there. Those conspirators who delayed ballot boxes to the stations by three hours wanted to hurt MQM voters.”

Earlier, MQM deputy convener Farooq Sattar said that rigging was being conducted at his constituency, NA-249, along with NA-248. “The election commission should look into why the ballot boxes were delayed by over three hours in 75 per cent of the polling stations.” Sattar also demanded a re-polling in NA-250 since voting in several polling stations did not start until 3pm.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2013.