Shifting gears: JI launches its election cell in Karachi

At the event, the party announced the names of its candidates for seats in the city.

Just a day after its office in Nazimabad was attacked by 'unidentified' men, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) launched its central election cell at Idara Noor-e-Haq on Sunday.

The party's candidates for the provincial assembly and National Assembly seats were also present at the occasion. In his speech at the event, the party's Karachi chief, Muhammad Hussain Mehanti, demanded removal of governors with political affiliations from all provinces before people head off to polling stations on May 11.

"The Election Commission of Pakistan has restricted governors from taking part in election rallies. But their political affiliations may still prevent free and fair elections," he said.

Mehanti, who himself will contest from NA-252 in Karachi, said that every polling station in the city should be labelled 'sensitive' because of the deteriorating law and order.



He asked the caretaker government and the election commission to deploy the army across the city. "It is not only the candidates contesting elections who require security. Voters, polling agents and staff are more vulnerable to threats from the political mafias."

While talking about the JI office in Nazimabad which was set ablaze on Saturday, Mehanti blamed another political party for its "cowardly attempt to intimidate" the group.

"JI workers are being threatened in the midst of their election campaigns but the caretaker government and law enforcement agencies are playing the role of silent spectators," he said.

Mehanti added that the caretaker government was not very different from the coalition government of PPP, MQM and ANP which it had replaced.

On this occasion, the JI chief also announced the names of party's candidates for upcoming elections who will contest for the 12 National Assembly and 21 provincial assembly seats in Karachi.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22^nd, 2013.