In District Malir, ASWJ shares posters with PPP

Saturday’s LG polls to see competition between MQM and PTI-JI alliance

KARACHI:

In Karachi’s District Malir, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is sharing its posters with the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) formerly known as the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba.

The streets in Muzaffarabad union committee (UC) are dotted with posters and banners with photos of ASWJ leader Aurangzeb Farooqui and PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. According to the election commission records, Maulana Syed Mohiuddin of the ASWJ is contesting the election for UC chairman while Misal Khan of the PPP is contesting for vice-chairman. For the general councillors’ seats in the UC, other religious parties including the JUI have also fielded their candidates.



“We have made an alliance with different political and religious organisations including the PPP, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Jamaat-e-Islami and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam,” clarified the spokesperson for the ASWJ.

The PPP local leadership is, however, reluctant to verify this alliance. PPP Karachi division president Najmi Alam insisted that they have not made any alliances with any militant or banned outfit.

“Earlier, we held negotiations with various groups and parties, which is normal in the democratic culture, but it does not mean that the PPP has formed an alliance,” he said. He added, however, that the party has an alliance with Pakistan Rah-e-Haq Party, a religious group.



Competition

Out of the total 13 union committees in Malir district, the MQM, PTI and PPP have supporters in different areas. “The real competition is [however] between the MQM and the PTI-JI alliance,” said a local journalist, Hanif Murad Baloch, who claimed the PPP had Malir as its stronghold but it has lost ground by ignoring its voters.

“Many Baloch families have now joined the PTI and are contest the elections for councillor and chairmen seats,” he said. Some residents reported that many Punjabi and Pakhtun splinter groups have decided to support the PTI-JI alliance.



According to Baloch, the PPP will focus on those parts of District Malir that have been classified as ‘rural’ and will therefore be voting for the district council.



Tough completion is expected in Muslimabad, Mominabad, Sharafi Goth, Settle Town, Ghazi Brohi Goth, Gharibabad and Quaidabad areas.

Voters

According to election commission records, there are 641,148 votes — 378,704 men and 262,444 women — registered in the 13 UCs of District Malir. Around 1,114 candidates are contesting from the platform of various political parties. Six of them have already been elected unopposed.

“Out of 1,114 candidates, only four are women,” said the district election commissioner. Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi’s (MQM-H) Afshan is contesting for a chairman seat while Shehr Bano, Saira, Aysha Begum are contesting to become general councillors, he added.

On the day of the polls, the officials said that there will be 506 polling stations, 1,875 booths, 506 presiding officers and 3,750 assistant presiding officers to perform the election duties.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 3^rd,  2015.