In Karachi, elections were robbed not stolen: Siraj

In a strongly worded post shared on his official X handle, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq has denounced the purported electoral rigging, labeling it a direct affront to the integrity of the vote and public sentiment.

Describing it as the most egregious instance of rigging in Pakistan’s electoral history, he claimed that results were manipulated in favour of the PML-N, the PPP, and the MQM, particularly highlighting the situation in Karachi as akin to robbery, not mere theft.

Expressing his firm stance against such manipulation, Haq declared his personal participation in the protest in Karachi, emphasizing that robbery of the people's mandate is unequivocally unacceptable.

Citing public polls, the JI was touting itself to be the most popular party in the country’s economic hub ahead of Feb 8 elections.

However, it failed to win even a single National Assembly seat from the city, which was regarded as a bastion of the religious party prior to the rise of the MQM in the mid-80s.

JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has been very active in highlighting the city’s chronic problems. Rehman was the party’s mayoral candidate for the city in the local government elections held in 2023.