KARACHI:
This week has been quite an eventful one for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Not only has it been able to bag a party candidate from Ibrahim Haidery – former parliamentarian Haji Shafi Mohammad Jamot, but it also inaugurated two new offices in Keamari.
“In the next elections we will grab at least five MPA seats and two MNA seats,” claimed Asad Usman, PML-N’s secretary-general in Karachi. He was talking to The Express Tribune about the increasing party activity in the metropolis.
“We are working seriously on our politics here,” said Usman. “The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won sympathy votes in the last elections. But we know that they have lost their game and it will be our party that gets the votes this time.”
Meetings are held every day in PML-N offices from Quaidabad to Gulshan-e-Hadeed. New members are being recruited and preparations are being made for Nawaz Sharif’s visit to Karachi in September.
For quite some time now, the PML-N has been eyeing the areas on the city’s peripheries, but has not been able to clinch the seats. This time around, they are not leaving any stone unturned and seem pretty confident of their success.
According to party leaders, PML-N has been looking for a chance to gain control of Ibrahim Haidery and its adjoining coastal villages, Keamari, Malir, Mehmoodabad, Shah Faisal Colony, Gulshan-e-Hadeed and some areas of Sohrab Goth, which are dominated by the Awami National Party (ANP).
The PML-N is also regrouping in constituencies which won them seats in the 1997 general elections. The current general secretary of PML-N’s Sindh chapter, Saleem Zia, won from PS-113 (previously PS-89) in 1997. The seat is now held by Askari Taqvi of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). The constituency consists of Defence and Clifton cantonment areas.
Now that Irfanullah Khan Marwat, who used to head the Punjabi-Pukhtun Ittehad, has also joined, the PML-N considers Karachi Administrators Cooperative Housing Society, Mehmoodabad, Liaquat Ashraf Colony, Akhtar Colony and Manzoor Colony – areas falling in PS-114, already won.
Marwat has been a strong candidate from this constituency. He had become a provincial minister after being elected from this seat. But in 2008, MQM’s Abdul Rauf Siddiqi beat him only by a slender margin of 100 votes.
Meanwhile, senior leader of the PML-N, Sardar Abdul Rahim, also contested elections from this constituency and won in the 1997 elections. But no one knows if the PML-N will nominate Marwat or Rahim for the upcoming elections.
Another constituency which the PML-N is very confident about the PS-129 – which include Ibrahim Hydery and Bin Qasim Town by the inclusion of Haji Shafi Mohammad Jamot last week. The seat is currently held by PPP’s Muzafar Ali Shujra but Jamot believes he has a strong chance of winning since his son became a parliamentarian from this constituency in 2004.
Another area of interest is Saeedabad in Baldia, from where the late Mian Eijaz Shafi was elected as an MNA in the 1997 elections.
Asif, the president of PML-N youth wing’s Karachi chapter, said, “In the coming days, we will organise rallies in all of Karachi’s zones. We are determined to increase our vote bank but we will not display false shows of strengths,” said Asif, who is also the Karachi president of the party’s youth wing. Asif’s brother, Humayun Muhammad Khan won from the PS-89, Keamari, in 1997 elections and became a provincial minister. PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif called upon Khan to invite youngsters to the party.
Asif, who contested the elections from this seat last year but lost to PPP’s Akhtar Jadoon, vows to come back with vengeance.
However, the enthusiasm of invitation extended to Uziar Baloch to join the party has lost its froth because of the cases piled up against him, party leaders told The Express Tribune. “For now we [the PML-N] have decided to do away with the offer,” they said. “But we will approach him when he has been acquitted by the court.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Saleem Zia as the "president" instead of "general secretary" of PML-N’s Sindh chapter. The error has been rectified.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 1st, 2012.
COMMENTS (26)
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Nawaz Sharif is the leader who targets all and not a certain ethnic group.he goes to pathan, urdu speaking, sindis, Punjabi, Hazarawal, and baluch. Had he done that, 30% of karchi population, Punjabi, had created another breach in Karachi's peace. This non ethnic attitude of him is beneficial for the peace and prosperity of Karachi and Pakistan.Welcome PML-N in Karach. Welcome Peace in karachi. Welcome business growth in Karachi. Welcome pakistaniyyat in Karachi. I am confident that PML-N and MQM are the real parties of Karachi. All others are planted and PML-N was intentionally pushed to wall by certain forces. This time they will make a visible come back
Nawaz Sharif is the most obvious choice for the people of Pakistan
All the prayers for Mian Sahib. We love him. Allah bless Mian Nawaz Sharif.
Pakistan is a nuclear power just because of right decisions taken by Mian Nawaz Sharif in year 1998. We are proud that we have such a mature and visionary leader. We are with Nawaz Sharif. We welcome him to Karachi.
Nawaz Sharif a mature and visionary leader. All the best wishes for him. Allah bless Pakistan. Allah bless Nawaz Sharif.
lolx wht a joke ..... forget it PMLN,
Being Karachite, I can tell you that people of Karachi has no sympathy with PML-N one of the reason is the Military Operation in Khi, Military courts established by PML-N here, Governor Rule in Sindh. However, PML shall try as political party to establish itself as national party
I believe PTI has much better chances of getting seats from Karachi than PML-N, because clearly they have managed to have more political activity in the metropolis than PML-N. The Jalsa they had last year showed the level of support and IRI survey recently also rated PTI higher than PML-N.
Nawaz sharif is gentleman and is the only hope of Pakistan. Our mqm brothers will agree to cooperate with Pml n for the sack of Karachi and Pakistan prospers and safety they been cheated by pppp as pppp did not give ny Ning to them at all. Love you all.
@Liaquat ali
this exactly what pmln lies about.
@Abid Khan: You're saying as if MQM has brought a manifold appreciation in the life of Karachites, its miserable out here, far more miserable than Punjab. People die here everyday, not a minute passes without the news of bodies in gunny bags.
@Neutral: Well every one can clearly see that how neutral you are we do not want noora league in power anywhere
@Yaqub: But PTI has completel;y compromised with MQM in Karachi and elsewhere with PPP so how are THEY going to sweep. I wish IK had kept his own and fight like a fighter and WIN but he lost even before he tried.He is compromising too much for a revolutionary leader he was meant to be.
Both PTI and PML on same track.
None of the current ruling parties have any chance in next elections, people are fed up. PTI will clean sweep INSHALLAH.
Nice to see PMLN organizing in Karachi and Sindh! They are working on the basis of ground realities ....!
They need to worry about Punjab first! PTI is spreading like a fire there! Noon league has missed the train!
Jeay nawaz league jeay mian sb
Although I'm not a PML-N fan, but we must all admit one thing that they have an established voter base and even some members of the PTI-dominated youth are shifting towards them. people who think that PML-N will be severely beaten in the next elections lack insight in politics because the truth is that established parties are here to stay, because General Zia wasn't able to eliminate PPP and General Musharraf wasn't able to eliminate PML-N, realistically I think PTI would be a minor threat to them.
Thats good, IK must also target karachi, it is such a big city, should welcome all parties.
It is bad omen in the life of Karachites to have PML there. These two parties are two faces of same coin. What difference PML has brought to the life of Punjab in general. People are dying and law & order is worst. They did partnership with federal government but showing opposition recently to get some sympathy and fool public again. It is always buyer "be aware".
The current President of PMLN in Sindh is Ghous Ali Shah ET, not Salim Zia. Shah won from Khairpur I'm 1997 on both provincial & NA assembly.
PMLN wont win even a single seat from Karachi
Wow! I didnt know PML N was up to so much in Karachi.