NA-254: Only National Assembly seat to be won from Karachi up for grabs

Around 15 candidates, including eight independents, will contest for NA-254, which has 378,712 registered voters.

KARACHI:

All eyes are on the by-elections in NA-254, set to take place today, as political parties in Karachi vie to secure the seat which would entitle them to one more vote in the National Assembly.

In the forefront is the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, whose kite has been soaring high in this constituency since 1988. Their main contenders in the by-polls, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan Peoples Party, however, are confident that they will not make it an easy win for the former this time around.

The general elections, which took place on May 11 across the country, were postponed in this constituency after Awami National Party’s candidate, Sadiq Zaman Khattak, was shot dead near a mosque in Bilal Colony, Korangi.

Less talk, more action needed

When it comes to the development of infrastructure, the constituency seems to be in a deplorable condition.

Arshad, a resident of Korangi Sector 32-A, said that the absence of water and presence of tanker mafia were the biggest problems of the area. “I have become old now. I can’t recall a day when there was water in the taps in my house,” said Arshad. “We are compelled to buy water from the tanker mafia.”

He added that the government schools in the area were also in a horrible condition, listing large garbage dumps which haven’t been cleared for months and electricity theft by small factory owners as the other main issues.

Zafar, a resident of Gulzar Colony, said that the government might have completed roads and other developments on paper but nothing had materialised as yet. “I have been living in the area for the past 30 years - nothing has changed and I assure you that nothing will change till doomsday.”

Despite the glaring shortcomings, workers of MQM are certain of winning the seat since the party has an undisputed majority in NA-254. “There is no question of challenging our vote bank. PTI’s popularity was at its peak a few months ago, but no longer,” said the party’s candidate, Muhammad Ali Rashid. “The army’s deployment during polling is discrimination but at least no one will be able to challenge MQM’s mandate after the results are out.”

PTI’s candidate Naeem Shaikh, however, appeared undeterred. “Earlier, the PTI had secured over 100,000 votes from Nine Zero, the stronghold of MQM. We can even defeat a 10-party alliance if elections are conducted fairly under the army’s supervision.”

ANP, who lost its candidate in a targeted attack, has announced support for PPP’s Mullana Abdul Sattar. “No one can deny MQM’s vote bank in the constituency, but with the army’s supervision and ANP’s support, PPP’s chances of winning the seat are high,” said Sattar.

Around 15 candidates, including eight independents, will contest the by-poll in NA-254 which has 378,712 registered voters. Out of these, 228,142 are male and 150,570 are female voters. All 194 polling stations of the constituency have been declared most-sensitive by the Election Commission of Pakistan.  Army troops have already been deployed at the polling stations.

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