The National Assembly constituency NA-230 Malir, which consists of densely populated areas and fishing settlements, is regarded sensitive from a religious standpoint. The total population is 809,323, while the number of registered voters is 250,009, including 145,303 male and 104,706 female.
As for the demography and ethnic makeup of the population, mostly Baloch, Pakhtun, Urdu, and Sindhi-speaking communities lives here in perfect harmony. Notable areas include Khaldabad, Gaddafi Town, Quaidabad, Labore Colony, Bhines Colony, Muslimabad, Gulshan Bunir, Sherpao Colony, the historic fishermen settlements of Ibrahim Hyderi, Lagi Goth, Juma Goth, Dawood Usman Goth, and others.
Several legal and illegal jetties for fishing operate here, yielding tons of fish and prawns daily. The influence of religious parties in NA-230 is strong, and the area is regarded as the abode of labourers and fishermen. The livelihood of thousands of people is linked to small and large industries. A significant portion of the population includes economic migrants from various cities who have taken up a temporary residence here. This is the reason only 31% of the population is registered to vote. As for economic background, most of the population comes from middle and lower middle class with a few affluent families. The country's largest milk market, named Bhens Colony, is also situated in this constituency. It supplies Karachi with daily milk, and several slaughterhouses fulfill a substantial part of the city's meat requirements.
Read also: NA-229 Malir struggles with poverty
The NA-230 constituency shares common urban challenges such as water scarcity, sewage overflows, and deteriorating roads. However, drug use and sales have been persistently hazardous issues. The labour hospital in the constituency faces inadequacies in serving patients effectively.
As many as 25 candidates are vying for the NA-230 seat, including PPP's Agha Rafiullah, PML-N's Haji Muzaffar Ali Shajra, ANP's Asif Ali, Jamaat-e-Islami's Muhammad Islam, JUI's Muhammad Wali Shah, TLP's Muhammad Anwar, and PkMAP's Abdul Razak.
Apart from them, 16 candidates are contesting as independents, with PTI's Masroor Ali among them. In the 2018 elections, PPP's Syed Rafiullah secured victory in this constituency, though MQM-Pakistan has also tasted success here in the past.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 17th, 2024.
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