Wanted criminal contests LG polls in District Central

Shahid Bikak, an alleged Lyari gangster, is being backed by the PPP in Haji Mureed Goth

KARACHI:

The police have failed to trace the whereabouts of wanted Lyari gangster, Shahid Bikak, but they may find him at a polling station on Saturday.

Shahid, an alleged gangster who is absconding from the clutches of the law, is vying for the chairmanship of UC-44 in District Central and that too with the support of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Shahid, said to be associated with one of the most notorious gangs of Lyari, is facing a number of charges against him, including murder, attempted murder, encounters and possession of illicit weapons and explosives.



He was on bail until recently when he disappeared in October. The anti-terrorism court trying him in three separate cases issued non-bailable warrants of arrest a number of times but in vain. Despite the court’s repeated directions, authorities failed to nab him. Instead, he has been allowed to contest a key post in the LG polls.

Shahid’s constituency  

Comprising Haji Mureed Goth, Firdous Colony, Khamosh Colony and Khalidabad areas, UC-44 is spread over middle  and lower-middle class neighbourhoods. Among them, Shahid’s bastion is Haji Mureed Goth, which was named after his uncle. The vicinity is under-developed; narrow lanes, dilapidated roads, brimming gutters are visible throughout the area.

Shahid’s pictures are displayed alongside those of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Benazir Bhutto, inscribed with slogans such as ‘5 December Ko Apna Qeemti Vote De Kar Kamyab Banae’ [Cast your valuable vote on December 5 and become successful].



On a street corner, there is a small shop where the PPP has set up its election office. Middle-aged men were seen chatting there; among them was a candidate for the general member of Ward III, Abubakr Baloch. “We won from this constituency in the past LG elections and will clinch it again,” said Baloch. “The area belongs to the PPP, so do its people,” he said.

“The Goth is named after my father, Haji Mureed Bikak. People of this area respected him for the services he rendered here,” said Javed Mureed Bikak, who is contesting for the post of vice-chairman.

The area has a mixed population of Muhajirs, Baloch, Pakhtuns and others. “It was Haji Mureed who welcomed people migrating to Pakistan from India during independence and helped them set up in the surrounding areas,” he said proudly.



When asked about the two kinds of his banners in the area, he explained that he and his cousin Shahid filed their nomination papers independently. “We had some reservations with the party. However, everything is sorted out now,” he explained.

In UC-44, the PPP is backing Shahid and Javed after its candidate, Asghar Bikak, withdrew from the polls. Sources in the area said that Asghar’s candidacy was forcibly withdrawn.

The conversation was going well until these men were asked how Shahid, who has arrest warrants issued for him, vie for chairmanship. The men mumbled unsatisfactory responses. “Shahid has nothing to do with us,” Javed intervened. “You may ask him this question,” he said.

Election commission’s response

Provincial election commissioner Tanvir Zaki told The Express Tribune that an absconder cannot contest the LG elections. He seemed unaware of Shahid’s profile and justified that there might be an error during the scrutiny process.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4^th,  2015.