Elections and membership drive: ANP holds intra-party elections amidst threats
The party is content with its existing number of activists.
A few ANP red flags fluttering on roadside poles on the Manghopir road are the only sign of the party in these areas. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
The second phase of the Sindh chapter of Awami National Party’s (ANP) intra-party election was completed in the wake of terror threats.
The district level intra-party elections were completed and district level cabinets were also established. Though no unfortunate incident occurred during its membership drive in the city and elections across the province, the party’s activists remained underground and avoided unnecessary movement.
An ANP leader, who was requested anonymity, told The Express Tribune that the ANP Sindh did not bag enough members across the city as compared to the previous membership drive in which the party had emerged as the second biggest in the city. It only managed to register around 100,000 members across the province as compared to the 280,000 members the previous term.
“From fear of being attacked, we did not setup membership camps in the city as we had during the previous membership drive,” said a senior activist of the party, who also represents the party’s election commission. ANP has completely shut its offices in parts of Orangi Town and have not elected office bearers in Kunwari Colony, Pakhtunabad and Manghopir.
A few ragged red flags of the ANP fluttering on roadside poles on the Manghopir road are the only sign of the party in these areas. “We have eliminated 16 wards (party offices at union council level) in the areas of Manghopir and Kunwari Colony in the present elections,” said the ANP Sindh election commission chairperson Advocate Altaf Khan.
“The party has regressed 10 years in terms of member-strength but the positive aspect is that all its members are ideological and loyal to the party,” said ANP district south information secretary and senior activist, Anwar Ali. “Opportunists joined the party when it was in government but they left it when we were defeated in the general elections,” he said. “Such people come and go with seasons and the ideological activists remain.”
Presidents, general secretaries, senior vice-president and information secretaries at a total 11 districts across the province, including Karachi have been elected and the party will now go through its third phase of the election in which the cabinets will be elected at a provincial level. Khan said that they have completed the district level elections as well as elected members for the Sindh Council according to their party constitution and now the central election commission will announce dates for the provincial level elections for which representatives from Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa will come to monitor the elections.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 26th, 2014.
The second phase of the Sindh chapter of Awami National Party’s (ANP) intra-party election was completed in the wake of terror threats.
The district level intra-party elections were completed and district level cabinets were also established. Though no unfortunate incident occurred during its membership drive in the city and elections across the province, the party’s activists remained underground and avoided unnecessary movement.
An ANP leader, who was requested anonymity, told The Express Tribune that the ANP Sindh did not bag enough members across the city as compared to the previous membership drive in which the party had emerged as the second biggest in the city. It only managed to register around 100,000 members across the province as compared to the 280,000 members the previous term.
“From fear of being attacked, we did not setup membership camps in the city as we had during the previous membership drive,” said a senior activist of the party, who also represents the party’s election commission. ANP has completely shut its offices in parts of Orangi Town and have not elected office bearers in Kunwari Colony, Pakhtunabad and Manghopir.
A few ragged red flags of the ANP fluttering on roadside poles on the Manghopir road are the only sign of the party in these areas. “We have eliminated 16 wards (party offices at union council level) in the areas of Manghopir and Kunwari Colony in the present elections,” said the ANP Sindh election commission chairperson Advocate Altaf Khan.
“The party has regressed 10 years in terms of member-strength but the positive aspect is that all its members are ideological and loyal to the party,” said ANP district south information secretary and senior activist, Anwar Ali. “Opportunists joined the party when it was in government but they left it when we were defeated in the general elections,” he said. “Such people come and go with seasons and the ideological activists remain.”
Presidents, general secretaries, senior vice-president and information secretaries at a total 11 districts across the province, including Karachi have been elected and the party will now go through its third phase of the election in which the cabinets will be elected at a provincial level. Khan said that they have completed the district level elections as well as elected members for the Sindh Council according to their party constitution and now the central election commission will announce dates for the provincial level elections for which representatives from Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa will come to monitor the elections.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 26th, 2014.