Shoro set to get elected unopposed as Hyderabad mayor

PPP last week announced Shoro and Saghir Qureshi as the mayor and deputy of Hyderabad Municipal Corporation

HYDERABAD:

The mayor of Sindh’s second largest city, Hyderabad, is set to get elected unopposed as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf gave a walkover to the Pakistan Peoples Party’s candidate and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s candiates failed to sail through the process of the nomination.

The district election commissioner Yousuf Majeedano has cleared 6 nomination forms, four of which were filed by the PPP’s candidate for mayor Kashif Shoro.

The two other forms were also filed by the covering candidate of Shoro, Shah Muhammad Shoro.

The PPP last week had announced Shoro and Saghir Qureshi as the mayor and deputy of Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.

The first mayor of Hyderabad of Sindhi descent, Shoro was born and raised in Hyderabad. He was elected the ward member of Qasimabad, one of the taluks of the Hyderabad district. In the same year, Shoro was elected one of the youngest chairman of any Municipal Committee in Sindh.

“At first glance, you’ll think him a shy and a serious person,” commented one of his voters, Aftab Ahmed, adding that the Shoro “delivered” in Qasimabad and was witnessed working day and night.

Shoro’s name surfaced as the mayor of Hyderabad soon after the local body elections when the PPP won majority seats.

“It is the first time the PPP’s mayor will lead Hyderabad. We will serve the people of Hyderabad who have shown trust in the PPP,” Shoro told The Express Tribune.

Out of 160 UCs, the PPP has won 113 seats, becoming the single largest party in the council and could easily elect Shoro as the party’s first mayor.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won 41 seats. The opponent political party, the Muttehida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) boycotted the LG elections, giving leeway to the PPP to win.

With over 2.2 million people in the district, Shoro has to cater to issues such as providing potable water, fixing poor infrastructure and creating recreational means for the people of Hyderabad.