Citizens get up close with the vision of four candidates
Having no clear ideas, the contestants indulged into rhetoric on issues in town hall meeting
Meet Your Candidates event held at T2F. PHOTO: COURTESY OF The Second Floor/ FACEBOOK.
KARACHI:
Rhetoric, accusations, promises and recriminations flew thick and fast across The Second Floor (T2F) on Thursday at the 'Meet Your Candidates' event organised to engage some of the candidates contesting the general elections with Karachiites.
As all candidates came together to discuss the issues that Karachi faces--water crisis, electricity, sewage, security and infrastructure - the records of each of the contesting parties was bought up and the moderator, Arieb Azhar, kept political bickering from derailing the proceedings by sticking to a tight schedule.
The event page had advertised the meet-up to last for two hours from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. However, out of the four candidates scheduled to speak, independent candidate Jibran Nasir contesting from NA-247 and PS-111, Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Afnan Ullah Khan contesting from NA-247 and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Qadir Khan Mandokhail contesting from NA-249 arrived on time while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Imran Ismail contesting from PS-111 walked in at 7:30pm, saying that he "didn't expect the event to start on time."
PTI finalises Sindh candidates for general elections
Khan started the session by highlighting what he felt were the achievements of his party over the last five years. The PML-N candidate spoke about his party's role in launching the Karachi operation. He then moved on to the issue of a lack of drinking water in Karachi and used this rhetoric to establish his claim to represent the NA-247 constituency. Khan ended his pitch by bringing up Punjab's Dolphin Force as a possible model to deal with the remaining spate of street crimes in Karachi.
Drinking water and the lack of it became an issue throughout the discussion as every politician, except Nasir mentioned how desalination plants needed to be built to deal with the issue. When Nasir bought up the issue of the tanker mafia and how no political party confronts them or how, "Our basic rights are being privatised," he was met with a tepid response by the other panellists, besides Khan.
The moderator bought the event around to discussion of judicial reform and a critical view of the judiciary. While all candidates, save Ismail, gave their criticism of the judiciary, Nasir and Mandokhail demanded judicial reform, prison reform and the provision of free legal aid, especially to vulnerable groups in society, such as children, women and persons with disabilities.
Nasir was constantly under fire for his independent candidacy by other panellists. He insisted though that Karachi needs a strong opposition and that he will start small but build up to a larger political formation. The gathered politicians kept saying that he [Nasir] can't do anything without a party to which he replied, "I am one man without a party and the other candidates are one-man parties."
Answering a question on why his nomination papers listed that he hasn't paid tax for 2017, Khan said that he is the chief executive officer of international security firm TelsecCo and invests most of his income back into the business. In Pakistan's law, there is no declaration of profits or tax policy on foreign income, he added. Khan's income for 2017 was shown under 'inheritance share' in his nomination papers.
The PTI's Ismail took a number of mercurial stances throughout the evening. When he was not lambasting the gathered parties, he descended into ultra-nationalism, diverting conversations away from discussions on vital issues, such as missing persons. He would also alternate between bringing up people's religious sensitivities and then speak about how the blasphemy law is misused.
Rights activist Jibran Nasir beaten up, briefly detained for ‘challenging VIP culture’
Khan accused the PTI of already making deals with the establishment. However, in a moment of frustration, as Khan listed the corruption of the PPP and the political fantasies of the PTI, he asked the audience for their vote, which if they could not give to him, should be given to Nasir. This was met by rapturous applause in the room. Khan said that at least Nasir has his tale of struggle to present to the people, which is better than handing the city over to people attached to "drug mafias" or "Aman committees."
The event was packed with a young, professional looking audience and consisted of some very enthusiastic adults. The interest displayed by the audience and participants shows that there is an appetite for such illuminating political events in future.
Rhetoric, accusations, promises and recriminations flew thick and fast across The Second Floor (T2F) on Thursday at the 'Meet Your Candidates' event organised to engage some of the candidates contesting the general elections with Karachiites.
As all candidates came together to discuss the issues that Karachi faces--water crisis, electricity, sewage, security and infrastructure - the records of each of the contesting parties was bought up and the moderator, Arieb Azhar, kept political bickering from derailing the proceedings by sticking to a tight schedule.
The event page had advertised the meet-up to last for two hours from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. However, out of the four candidates scheduled to speak, independent candidate Jibran Nasir contesting from NA-247 and PS-111, Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Afnan Ullah Khan contesting from NA-247 and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Qadir Khan Mandokhail contesting from NA-249 arrived on time while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Imran Ismail contesting from PS-111 walked in at 7:30pm, saying that he "didn't expect the event to start on time."
PTI finalises Sindh candidates for general elections
Khan started the session by highlighting what he felt were the achievements of his party over the last five years. The PML-N candidate spoke about his party's role in launching the Karachi operation. He then moved on to the issue of a lack of drinking water in Karachi and used this rhetoric to establish his claim to represent the NA-247 constituency. Khan ended his pitch by bringing up Punjab's Dolphin Force as a possible model to deal with the remaining spate of street crimes in Karachi.
Drinking water and the lack of it became an issue throughout the discussion as every politician, except Nasir mentioned how desalination plants needed to be built to deal with the issue. When Nasir bought up the issue of the tanker mafia and how no political party confronts them or how, "Our basic rights are being privatised," he was met with a tepid response by the other panellists, besides Khan.
The moderator bought the event around to discussion of judicial reform and a critical view of the judiciary. While all candidates, save Ismail, gave their criticism of the judiciary, Nasir and Mandokhail demanded judicial reform, prison reform and the provision of free legal aid, especially to vulnerable groups in society, such as children, women and persons with disabilities.
Nasir was constantly under fire for his independent candidacy by other panellists. He insisted though that Karachi needs a strong opposition and that he will start small but build up to a larger political formation. The gathered politicians kept saying that he [Nasir] can't do anything without a party to which he replied, "I am one man without a party and the other candidates are one-man parties."
Answering a question on why his nomination papers listed that he hasn't paid tax for 2017, Khan said that he is the chief executive officer of international security firm TelsecCo and invests most of his income back into the business. In Pakistan's law, there is no declaration of profits or tax policy on foreign income, he added. Khan's income for 2017 was shown under 'inheritance share' in his nomination papers.
The PTI's Ismail took a number of mercurial stances throughout the evening. When he was not lambasting the gathered parties, he descended into ultra-nationalism, diverting conversations away from discussions on vital issues, such as missing persons. He would also alternate between bringing up people's religious sensitivities and then speak about how the blasphemy law is misused.
Rights activist Jibran Nasir beaten up, briefly detained for ‘challenging VIP culture’
Khan accused the PTI of already making deals with the establishment. However, in a moment of frustration, as Khan listed the corruption of the PPP and the political fantasies of the PTI, he asked the audience for their vote, which if they could not give to him, should be given to Nasir. This was met by rapturous applause in the room. Khan said that at least Nasir has his tale of struggle to present to the people, which is better than handing the city over to people attached to "drug mafias" or "Aman committees."
The event was packed with a young, professional looking audience and consisted of some very enthusiastic adults. The interest displayed by the audience and participants shows that there is an appetite for such illuminating political events in future.