Keamari set for LG polls with coalitions

District suffers from issues like water, sanitation, broken roads

KARACHI:

The newly designated Keamari district is the last among the seven districts of Karachi division.

Like Malir district, ideologically diverse electoral coalitions have been formed in Keamari district for the second phase of the local government elections, which were supposed to take place on July 24, but have been delayed for the time being.

The Keamari area was formerly considered the Pakistan Muslim League-N's bastion. Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) also had success in this area in the past elections, but the circumstances have changed now, as the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has a National Assembly seat and has influence.

The densely populated areas of Baldia Town that were once a part of the West district are now a part of Keamari district under the new delimitation.

The most presing issues of Kemari and Baldia Town areas are water shortages, sewage and broken roadways.

Kemari district is divided into three districts. Baldia Town has 13 union committees (UCs), Mauripur has 11, and Moro Mir Bahr Town has eight. Therefore, there is a total of 1,254 candidates are running in 28 wards, 32 union committees, and 281 chairman vice chairman (joint) positions.

Also, a total of 1,254 candidates are running in 28 wards, 32 union committees, and 281 chairman, vice chairman (joint) positions, while the People's Party is fielding 130, Tehreek-e-Labaik 129, Jamaat-e-Islami 126, PML-N 86, Pak Sarzameen Party 84, JUI-F 66, MQM-P 57, Awami National Party 21, Allahu Akbar Tehreek 18, GDA 13, Rahe Haq Party 10, Muslim League Sher Bengal 10, JUP-N four while Muslim League Functional and Hazara Qaumi Mahaz have fielded one candidate each. There are also 361 independent candidates.

The total number of voters in the Keamari district is 844,851, of whom 495,289 are male and 349,562 are female. A total of 556 polling places have been set up for the local body elections of these polling stations, 283 are classified as sensitive and 273 as highly sensitive, not even a single polling station is normal.

Qaiser says PPP ranaway from polls

Former speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaiser and opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh have said that the Pakistan People’s Party has run away from the second phase of the local government elections on the pretext of rain.

They said this on Thursday while speaking to the media persons at the Sindh Assembly where PTI’s MPAs and other leaders were also present.

“Karachi is the economic hub of Pakistan which bears the burden of the entire country, but this city has been wronged by the PPP,” Qaiser said. “The infrastructure, especially roads, of Karachi has been destroyed by the recent rains.”

He further said that drinking water was not available to the people of Karachi while Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was telling people about bringing prosperity in the whole country.

He alleged that Sindh’s money was being used to purchase votes for the Punjab chief minister election. “Asif Ali Zardari is spending Sindh’s money on buying loyalties of MPAs in Punjab,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 22^nd, 2022.