Party stars battle it out in most upmarket constituency

NA-247, formerly known as NA-250 isthe most important in the city in terms of trade and financial institutions

KARACHI: NA-247, formerly known as NA-250, brings back a lot of memories from the 2013 elections. The saga that unfolded in the wake of election day threatened to question the whole balloting process in Karachi, with allegations of large-scale rigging leveled against the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) at the time. After multiple protests, sit-ins and threats of violence, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate, Dr Arif Alvi, finally managed to clinch the seat.

After the latest delimitations, NA-247 - one of the two constituencies in District South - has been created after amalgamating parts of what were formerly areas of NA-249 and NA-250. These include Aram Bagh, Saddar, Karachi Cantonment, Kharadar, Civil Lines, Defence Housing Authority, Clifton, Cantonment Board Clifton, MA Jinnah Road, Joria Bazaar, Jama Cloth, New Memon Masjid, Mithadar and some areas of Garden.



The constituency is arguably the most important in the city in terms of trade and financial institutions, with the “Wall Street” of Pakistan, II Chundrigar Road falling within its jurisdiction. Most head offices of major banks are located on this thoroughfare, besides their regulator, the State Bank of Pakistan. A little up the road lies the Pakistan Stock Exchange building, where stocks worth millions are traded every day.

Parallel to II Chundrigar Road is MA Jinnah Road, where wholesale markets - Jodia Bazaar, Juna Market, Gordhandas Market, Marriot-Road Market and Sarrafa Bazaar - feed the country’s economy. Besides, the Karachi Cantt Station and the iconic Empress Market are also located in this constituency.



Competition among the stars

This time around, the constituency promises an interesting and close contest with each party putting up its star candidates for the showdown. Since 2002, the MQM has maintained its electoral supremacy in areas which were once part of NA-249, while voters in areas which were NA-250 never committed themselves to any one party. In 2002, the constituency went with the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, in 2008 with MQM-Pakistan and in 2013, the PTI candidate returned from the constituency.

As many as 23 candidates are contesting for the National Assembly seat, where the number of registered voters is 543,964 out of which 294,713 are male and 249,251 are female. They will cast their votes at 240 polling stations set up across the constituency, which constitutes three provincial assembly seats - PS 109, 110 and 111.



Candidates

The PTI has again fielded Dr Alvi as its candidate for NA-247, while the MQM-P has fielded its stalwart, Dr Farooq Sattar. The Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) has fielded Fauzia Kasuri, a former PTI leader. The MMA has given its ticket to Muhammad Hussain Mehnti, while the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) has fielded Syed Zaman Ali Jafri. Pakistan Muslim League-N has awarded its ticket to Afnanullah Khan, while the PPP candidate from the constituency is Abdul Aziz Memon.

One of the more popular independent candidates from the constituency is social activist, Muhammad Jibran Nasir, who may well prove to be the surprise package on Election Day, courtesy his rising popularity among the affluent class on the basis of his protests against VIP culture and raising a voice for minority communities. This popularity may not translate into an electoral victory for him, however, as residents of DHA and Clifton do not have a very good track record at polling stations. In 2013, the voter turnout from these areas was hardly 34.5%, compared to the 60% turnout in areas with middle and lower-income households.



Community vote bank

The support that existed for the PTI during the 2013 general elections has somehow dimmed and Nasir is believed to cash in on the votes. The PTI too largely relied on the more affluent areas of Clifton and DHA, whereas areas surrounding New Memon Masjid, Kharadar, Mithadar and Garden are the support base of MQM-P and PPP.

There is a large presence of members of the Memon community in this constituency which may tilt toward Sattar due to his Memon family background. But the TLP can also cause major dent as the newly registered religio-political party has a support base among the Memon community.  PPP’s Memon is also a strong contestant from this area.

There is also a strong presence of members of the Christian, Bohri, Hindu and Ismaili communities in Old City Area and Garden, which can vote for PTI and MQM-P. Based on his stance toward the minority communities, Nasir could well dig into the vote bank here too.

The MMA too cannot be ruled out as the Jamaat-e-Islami’s Naimatullah Khan stood third in the 2013 by-polls in NA-250.

Development issues

The constituency covers some of the oldest parts of the city. It has now become a business hub where members of the Memon, Kutchi, Gujrati, Baloch and Bohra communities are in majority.

This is the area from where the lion’s share of complaints regarding extortion demands was reported before the Karachi operation. Other major issues include a poor drainage system, air pollution, water shortage and traffic congestion.

Each monsoon season, the drainage system overflows, leaving stagnant water on the roads for weeks. Residents in this part of the city too largely rely on water tankers for potable water. Quite a few buildings of the area have also been declared dangerous by the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA).

With reporting from Oonib Azam and Syed Ashraf Ali

Published in The Express Tribune, July 19^th, 2018.