By-election for 63 local bodies’ seats in five divisions of Sindh were once again marred by lack of enthusiasm and a very low turnout. Nonetheless, the day belonged to the PPP as it emerged victorious by bagging seven UCs in Karachi, two in Hyderabad, and a lion’s share elsewhere in interior Sindh. The limping horse behind it was Jamaat-e-Islami in Karachi, which added four more UCs to its tally as it relentlessly stakes claim for Karachi’s mayor-ship. Both the parties are in an unending duel over forming their own government at the local tier in Pakistan’s biggest metropolitan, but have not been able to either strike a deal or reach a consensus. This has inevitably plunged Karachiites in a civic trauma as the megacity bites the dust to stand up and be counted.
The lackluster was coupled with absence of proactivity by other political forces. PTI and MQM were not very much on the screen, and this hinted at the sense of desolation that has crept in. Likewise, sporadic reports of scuffles and allegations of rigging made it a typical run of the mill affair, as more than 6,000 security personnel manned an odd 434 polling stations. No statistics are at hand to establish immediately what number of people voted on Sunday from a listed eligible of more than 690,000. But the euphoria is ripe with the PPP as it claimed that all district chairmen, including Karachi and Hyderabad, are its candidates.
The local bodies exercise has gone above board. Notwithstanding its lacunas, it is direly desired that a grass-root representative system with full autonomy must be in place. Political parties, which otherwise fight tooth and nail for empowerment, are seen shying away when it comes to dispensing a role to LB tiers. This is negation of the spirit of democracy, and must be shunned. People definitely deserve a better deal, and it’s time for local elected members to look inward, and usher in a new decorum of development. PPP and JI are in a decisive phase to help reorient Karachi, and they must look beyond politics to resurrect it.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 9th, 2023.
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