Battle for Ghotki: Mahars set to clash in home ground in by-poll

Both PPP and PTI have awarded tickets to members of the same family

KARACHI: All eyes are on Ghotki as members of the influential Mahar family are set to clash as opponents in the hotly contested by-election for NA-205, scheduled for July 18.

Earlier this year, the lower house seat fell vacant following the death of Ali Muhammad Khan Mahar, who was also the federal minister for narcotics control in the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government at the time of his death.

The race for NA-205 became interesting when Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) decided to field former provincial minister for sports and adviser on industries and commerce Sardar Mohammad Bux Khan, who is also the chief of the Mahar tribe, against his cousin and Ali Mohammad Khan's son, Ahmed Ali Khan. The latter is contesting the by-election as an independent candidate but enjoys the full support of the PTI and its allied parties.



Home turf

The constituency has been home turf for the Mahars.  So far, the political family has not faced defeat by any other party in the district. While the last general election was an easy win for the deceased minister, this upcoming poll will be a tough challenge for members of his family, who are evidently divided as opponents from two opposite political parties.

"I am the chief of Mahar tribe. I appeal all of you to vote and support me," Mohammad Bux urged a large gathering in his constituency on Sunday.

General stats

There are a total of 204,891 voters registered in the constituency. According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, of the 289 polling stations to be set up for the exercise, 164 have been declared highly sensitive.

Key seat

According to independent observers, the by-election will also have an impact on the number of seats in the lower house of parliament as both PTI and PPP are investing their political capital to gain control of the constituency.  As election day inches closer, the campaign in the constituency is heating up and both parties are trying to shore up support for their candidates. PPP ministers Nasir Hussain Shah and Abdul Bari Pitafi, who are also political heavyweights in the constituency, went as far as resigning from their offices to support Mohammad Bux's campaign.

On the other hand, Grand Democratic Alliance MPA Ali Gohar Mahar, who also happens to be the elder brother of Ali Mohammad, is leading the campaign for his nephew to reclaim the seat vacated by his father.

"This seat has fallen vacant after the death of my brother. His son deserves to be elected," said Ali Gohar, while speaking to The Express Tribune.

Ali Gohar blames the PPP for the fissures in the family. "PPP has created a rift in our family by awarding a ticket to our youngest cousin who also heads our tribe," he said, adding that people in the area would not follow the tribal chief, who he claimed is being used by the PPP. Ali Gohar has also called for the army to deployed inside and outside the polling stations on the day of the election.

Sources familiar with the development told The Express Tribune that Mahar brothers, irrespective of their differences, have joined hands against their cousin Mohammad Bux and are running pillar-to-post to win the upcoming by-elections.

"The Mahar brothers have also approached JUI-F to support them in the area. PPP has gone to its former stalwarts in the Dharejo family seeking their support. So this is a tough contest. Let's see who wins or loses the election," said Latif Leghari, a local journalist. In fact, the JUI-F formally announced its support for the PPP candidate on Tuesday.

PM's visit

The contest for NA-205 is so significant that even the prime minister has popped into town, although he claimed it had nothing to do with the election.



During a visit to Ghotki, Premier Imran Khan met members of the Mahar family to rally support for Ahmed Ali, who, like his father, could end up joining the ruling party in the Centre.

Irked by the visit, PPP leaders lodged formal complaints with the Election Commission of Pakistan, accusing the premier of violating the poll body's code of conduct.

In his defence, the prime minister said, "My visit had nothing to do with elections. I went to offer my condolences on the death of federal minister Ali Mohammad Mahar."

Published in The Express Tribune, July 10^th, 2019.