A city draped in electioneering; but where do the posters, flags come from?

KARACHI: Driving through Karachi, one sees flags, posters and various other printed material draped over every possible wall or pole, a clear sign that the metropolis is gearing up for general elections and the port city would witness a pitched battle between political parties.

Mohammad Shahid, the production of a printing company founded in 2010 told The Express Tribune that the work includes printing of handbills, posters, cards, pamphlets and flags in the runup to polls.

He further said that the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) as frequent customers.



Despite working with political parties throughout the year, the workload intensifies during election season with workers clocking in 10-12 hours over-time, said Shahid and added that the printing business had become more competitive in the last few years especially since his factory did not market its services on online platforms.

Mohammad Shiraz, who works at a 20-year-old designing company, however, stressed on using Facebook and Whatsapp to coordinate with new and old clients alike.

“We work for various parties including the PPP, PSP and JI. We have never faced payment issues with them as they are our regular clients.”



With six years of experience in designing posters, flags, handbills and car vinyls for political campaigns, Shiraz added that the design was outlined according to the guidelines issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Referring to the work-load, Shiraz reiterated that the election season had increased work hours. “Although competition has increased, every company has their share of work. Everyone’s hands are full.”