June 2 by-elections: MQM kicks off campaign, inaugurates election offices

The contest is on two seats vacated after Iftikhar Alam and Sagheer Ahmed quit the party

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) kicked off its election campaign for the June 2 by-elections and inaugurated election offices in the contesting constituencies.

The party is contesting the PS-106 and PS-117 seats of the Sindh Assembly, which were vacated when former MQM MPAs Iftikhar Alam and Dr Sagheer Ahmed quit the party and joined Mustafa Kamal's Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP). Two of the election offices were inaugurated on Wednesday while the third opened on Thursday.

For the by-elections, the MQM has nominated lawyer Mahfooz Yar Khan for its home ground seat of Liaquatabad, PS-106. Meanwhile, for the PIB constituency of PS-117, which is another party stronghold, a retired army major, Qamar Abbas, who is the brother of a deceased worker, is contesting the elections.

So far, the party has opened three elections offices — one in an apartment in FC Area, Liaquatabad, one near Mor Park in Federal B Area and another in the PIB constituency in the Martin Quarters area.

"We open up offices in houses, apartments or shops on rent," said party spokesperson and Rabita Committee member Aminul Haque. "These are temporary offices and will shut down after the elections."

The party plans to open 20 election offices in PS-106 and as many in PS-117 to carry on with the campaign, make voter cards and organise meetings and gatherings. They will cover different union councils of the constituencies and various neighbourhoods.

Hopes up

According to Haque, the party sees the by-elections as a one-sided election and hopes to clean-sweep. They plan to initiate door-to-door campaign and put up banners and posters, said Haque. Also, he said, the party will organise two major rallies in each of the constituencies.

The candidate for PS-106, Khan, told The Express Tribune that the party is focusing on bringing out a huge number of voters in the upcoming elections as compared to the previous by-elections. "We are mobilising people to come out on that day and I expect to get 1 lakh (0.1 million) votes in the by-elections," he said.

Khan, who was previously in the Awami Muslim League, had withdrawn for the MQM candidate last year for NA-246 (the National Assembly seat of the constituency he is now contesting) and then joined the MQM, was hopeful that people will step out to cast their votes despite the hot weather.

PPP nomination for by-elections

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has given tickets to Sardar Ahmed Samad Baloch in PS-106 and Javed Butt in PS-117.

Baloch, who lives in Banghori Goth adjacent to Azizabad, is a diehard worker of the party and his father, Sardar Imam Bux Baloch, was killed a few years ago in the area while re-organising the party in this constituency. According to Baloch, they have started election campaign by setting up camps in every corner of the constituency and will win the by-polls if they are held in a transparent manner.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf will also contest the by-elections.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2016.