KARACHI: As expected, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Monday won the by-elections at Karachi’s NA-258 Malir constituency. According to official results, PPP candidate Abdul Hakeem Baloch secured over 72,400 votes.
The polling was held in a peaceful environment with a record low 20% turnout in most of the polling stations. The seat fell vacant after Abdul Hakeem Baloch – the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lone MNA in Sindh who was also serving as a federal minister – jumped ship and joined the PPP which gave him a ticket to contest the by-polls.
Interestingly, the PML-N could not field its candidate. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) nominated Mohammad Bangash but later withdrew its candidate, claiming that the PPP would rig the polls.
Despite the PTI’s decision not to contest, Bangash’s people were active in the field. The same allegations were levelled by the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), which had given its ticket to Mumtaz Ali Umrani but boycotted the polls, expressing concern over arrangements.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had deployed the Rangers in and outside the polling stations and the Rangers personnel and presiding officers were given magisterial powers. Despite strict security measures, people were seen violating the code of conduct by using mobile phones in polling stations.
“There were a total 287 polling stations and only one polling station was safe. The remaining were either sensitive or most sensitive,” said an ECP official.
This constituency, comprising suburban areas of Karachi traditionally belongs to the PPP. The party candidate Sher Muhammad Baloch won this seat twice in 2002 and 2008. But the party lost this constituency after Hakeem Baloch quit the PPP and joined the PML-N before the general election 2013.
“The PML N has no vote bank in this area. Baloch defeated the PPP in 2013 as he enjoys support of Sindhi and Baloch communities of the area,” said a local journalist Sami Memon.
The number of total votes registered in the constituency is 408,613, of which 166,821 voters are women, but most of the polling stations wore a deserted look till 12 noon.
According to independent observers the voters in the constituency seemed less interested in choosing their representative and number of women voters was significantly low. The PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and other PPP leaders congratulated Baloch.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2016.
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