Unofficial result: MQM edges out rivals in NA-246

Altaf says voters have rejected all allegations against party

KARACHI:

Thursday was a day of reckoning for three major parties in Karachi’s NA-246 constituency (Azizabad) but by the wee hours of Friday voters seemed to have thrown in their lot with only one of them.

Unofficial results showed Kanwar Naveed of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in pole position, securing a wide lead of 71,122 votes over his nearest rival – Imran Ismail of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, and proving once again the party’s dominance in the constituency.

Kanwar secured 93,122 votes while his rivals Imran Ismail of PTI and Rashid Naseem of the Jamaat-e-Islami bagged 22,000 and 9,000 votes, respectively.

In the end, albeit unofficially Ismail fared worse than his predecessor Amir Sharjeel who polled 9,857 votes more for PTI in the 2013 general elections. Sharjeel finished up with 31,857 votes against Ismail’s 22,000. This is a far cry from the landslide victory predicted by the PTI for its candidate.

The seat had fallen vacant in the wake of former MQM leader Nabeel Gabol’s resignation.

Under the watchful eye of the paramilitary Rangers, unprecedented security arrangements were made for the by-election.

By all accounts, the turnout seemed lower than it was when compared to the last two general elections held in 2013 and 2008 respectively.

At the time of filing this report, a mega celebration was under way at the Jinnah Ground, where MQM activists were proclaiming victory for their candidate.

For its part, the Jamaat-e-Islami, was in no mood to concede defeat. Instead, the party claimed that pre-poll rigging had taken place and insinuated that bogus votes were cast in favour of the MQM.

“It was not a free and fair election,” JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman told a news conference. “We had earlier expressed our reservations over the electoral lists prepared by the MQM workers at their offices.”

Some 357,781 voters were registered at 213 polling stations in the constituency. Tension prevailed given the litany of untoward incidents during elections.

However, paramilitary troops and policemen handled the electoral process well, ensuring the casting of ballots in a peaceful atmosphere. They later claimed that they had achieved their goal of holding a free and fair election, citing the absence of large-scale violence.

Karachi Corps Commander Lt-Gen Naveed Mukhtar, Rangers Sindh Director General Bilal Akbar, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and senior police officers visited the constituency and reviewed the security arrangements.

In some areas voting was delayed by one to two hours and voters were seen standing in long queues in front of polling stations

“Some elements have hatched a conspiracy against us. Each voter takes 15 to 20 minutes. This was a deliberate effort against the MQM’s mandate, otherwise we would have broken our past records,” said the party’s senior leader Farooq Sattar addressing the media.

CCTV cameras were installed inside and outside the polling stations and mobile phones were banned. Despite heavy security deployment, four people, including presiding officers, attempted to cast bogus votes. All of them were arrested and are expected to spend three months in jail.

Reacting to his defeat, Imran Ismail said it was the PTI that had challenged the MQM in its bastion and organised rallies with vigorous election campaigning.

“The MQM has a history of committing rigging in elections in its constituency, where the votes are counted starting with 20,000.” He said the results were still unofficial, adding that he would congratulate Kanwar if the official results also declare him the winner.

Kanwar’s rights drive

Addressing a large crowd at the Jinnah Ground on Thursday night, Kanwar said he would start a movement for the rights of people living in Karachi.

The ground, where the MQM had set up its camp for the by-poll, was packed with excited party workers who sang, danced and distributed sweets to mark Kanwar’s victory based on the unofficial results.

“I shall campaign for the people living in the city and ensure that they get their rights,” he said. He promised to work for development in his constituency.

Talking about the MQM’s frequent brushes with the law, the former mayor of Hyderabad said his party could not be intimidated by arrests.

“Raids and operations don’t scare us,” said Kanwar, who is also a member of the MQM’s Rabita Committee.

Altaf’s felicitations

Party chief Altaf Hussain congratulated Kanwar, and thanked God for granting the party victory. “People claimed that the MQM had criminals as members, and the law enforcers filed cases against us and arrested our activists. Despite all that, the party’s graph [worm] has gone up.”

He claimed that anti-MQM elements had used different tactics and had conspired against them yet they still emerged successful in the elections.

“By voting for the MQM once again, the people of Liaquatabad and Federal B Area have announced their decision. They have rejected all false accusations levelled against the party as well as its media trial. People have given their mandate to the MQM.”

Responding to “those who had said the party’s graph has dropped and the people have left Altaf Hussain”, the MQM chief said he and the people shared a strong bond.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th, 2015.