No compromise on mayoral slot: JI

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Wednesday reiterated that it will not compromise over its claim to the seat of Karachi mayor.

Having won majority in the local bodies' elections, JI has all the right to bring its mayor, said Karachi Ameer Engr Hafiz Naeemur Rehman.

He said JI surfaced as number one party in terms of popular vote as well as seats in the megalopolis in the local government elections, therefore Jamaat will not compromise over its mandate and the mayoral seat in the city.

The JI leader expressed these views while addressing a luncheon held for bureau chiefs and senior journalists associated with TV channels at Idara Noor-e-Haq, the JI Karachi headquarters, on Wednesday.

Naeem said that the Pakistan People Party not only employed gerrymandering but also tempered with results to fraudulently increase its seats, otherwise the PPP was not able to secure even 70 seats across the city. He further said that it will open floodgates for further negative politics in the city if the PPP managed to install it's mayor in the city through unfair means.

The JI Karachi chief said that the JI was advocating for a unanimous city mayor not for its political interest but for the sake of progress and development in the mega city -- the economic nerve of the country.

Addressing the forces that effect elections, he told the gathering that artificially changing the ranking of political parties in Karachi will serve no purpose, instead it would be harmful for the city. He reiterated that the JI will consolidate its struggle and success in Karachi.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th, 2023.