The voter verification drive in Karachi appears to be heading to a stalemate. Hours after two policemen deployed with the election commission staff were gunned down, the opposition parties intensified their disapproval of the ongoing campaign.
Two police officers - head constable Akhtar Shahzad Masih and constable Abdul Aziz - were shot dead in a targeted attack in Korangi on Friday night when they were heading to a roadside restaurant for dinner. The assailants also took away the sub-machineguns of the victims.
The policemen were deployed at the election commission camp at a government school in Korangi’s Bilal Colony, Korangi SP Chaudhry Asad told The Express Tribune.
Outside the provincial election commission’s office, hundreds of men, women and children were mobilised by the opposition parties to join their protest against verification of electoral rolls.
At the sit-in, the protesters demanded implementing the Supreme Court decision to verify voters with the assistance of army. The demonstration, organised by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Awami Tehreek, Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party (STPP), Sunni Tehreek and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, is expected to continue till Monday, when senior political leaders will address it.
“The ongoing voter verification has once again been hijacked,” said Muhammad Husain Mehanti, the JI Karachi chief at the sit-in. “We want to inform the election commission and higher authorities that these results will not be acceptable.”
No amendments are being made to the electoral lists, which have been declared null and void by the Supreme Court, he alleged.
“We will devise our further line of action after consultations with other parties and will file a contempt of court petition in the apex court to suspend the whole process,” Mehanti announced at the sit-in that started around 3pm.
The Supreme Court had ordered a door-to-door verification of voters in Karachi on complaints about irregularities in enrolment of about three million citizens.
The drive has taken a turn for the worst with the murder of the two policemen. SP Chaudhry Asad said that initial investigation suggests workers of a political party shot them dead.
The protest started after the JI convened an all parties’ conference against voter verification and delimitation, which, according to Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim, was not possible in the present circumstances. “Ebrahim’s statement has created doubts,” Gulzar Soomro of the STPP said. But the provincial election commissioner Mehbood Anwar was unmoved. “It is the constitutional right of every person to protest in a democratic way,” he said.
“Soldiers are giving us backup support by patrolling sensitive areas,” Anwar added.
He also brushed aside the killing of two cops deputed at assistant registrar’s office of election commission in Korangi, saying it was premature to link the incident to the voter verification process.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 27th, 2013.
COMMENTS (5)
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Where is CJ? It is the time to call army to come up with election commission and help them. Will the involvement of two different state institutions improve the volatile situation in Karachi? The solution in my opinion is accurate intelligence gathering by civilian agencies and targeted operation against the elements who keep Karachi in a constant state of turmoil.
This is how MQM welcomes election commission on every election!! That shows how fair these election go happen under this government!! Where is CJ? It is the time to call army to come up with election commission and help them conducting free and fair elections!!
Where are thou, Pakistan Army? Will you allow our beautiful city of Karachi to fall to this political gang once again? How many sons, fathers, daughters and mothers will have to be killed before you wake up and cut off this mafia at the throat? How many millions of rupees will have to be extorted from legitimate business before you stir into action?
Wake up Pakistan Army. Karachi needs you.
This is how that political party wants to rule Karachi through politics of violence. They are bigger feudals than any one else, they dont want to let any one do politics with freedom in Karachi.The bogus votes, fake house counts and delimitation process raise serious questions about the fairness of upcoming elections. Bogus elections wont resolve Karachi situation, it will only worsen it. State organs should not bow down before powerful militant parties of Karachi, they should support people's right to have free and fair elections every where including Karachi.
As a nation, we should feel shame ourself, that for every social move, we need help of Police and Army,the Voter list verifying is a normal practice, the concern authority doing their Job, why involve Police and Army.
The two police men killed, were not on duty at that time, why it is being attached with Voter verifying job.
The Political Parties, who did not won a single seat in Karachi,just making noise