12 of 174 city council reserved seats remain vacant

PPP, PTI, JI all failed to find candidates for these seats

KARACHI, PAKISTAN:

Twelve out of the 174 reserved seats in 21 of the 25 towns of Karachi have remained unfilled.

This lack of representation is particularly striking for the seats reserved for transgender individuals, with seven of them going unfilled. Additionally, three seats designated for females, one for a laborer, and one for a disabled person have also been left vacant.

Shockingly, neither the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), nor Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) was able to find any candidates for these vacant positions.

The party quotas for the remaining 162 seats in 21 towns have already been filled, as the respective lists of successful candidates have been released. Among these, JI has secured 62 seats, PPP has 82, PTI has 16, and PMLN has two.

Currently, the nomination papers for 34 specific seats are under scrutiny in Manghopir Town, Orangi Town, Mominabad Town of the West District, and Gulshan Town of the East District.

However, even in these areas, the absence of candidates for the reserved seats, particularly those allocated for transgender individuals, remains a concerning issue.

According to the Election Commission's list, six seats have remained vacant due to the absence of candidates or the rejection of their documents.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 7^th, 2023.