Jinnah Ground visit: Heckling fears won’t deter Imran

PTI chief hails Altaf’s welcome message as ‘good gesture’

HYDERABAD/ KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan fears that he might be heckled in the bastion of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement where supporters from the two parties have frequently clashed since campaigning for NA-246 (Karachi-VIII) by-election began.  Nonetheless, he is undeterred.

“I know eggs and tomatoes are ready to welcome me, but I will go to Jinnah Ground [on Thursday],” Imran told a news conference on Wednesday at  the residence of Imran Ismail, PTI’s candidate for NA-246 by-polls.

Imran, who is in the metropolis to campaign for his party’s candidate, will visit Azizabad, where the MQM is headquartered, on Thursday (today). Terming the NA-246 by-poll ‘important’ for Karachiites, the PTI chief said people should be given an alternative now.

The NA-246 seat had fallen vacant after MQM’s Nabil Gabol resigned after developing differences with his party. As a result, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) fixed April 23 for holding the by-polls.



Soon after ECP’s announcement, the PTI sprang into action to clinch the constituency on MQM’s home turf, which has stirred emotions within both parties, causing confrontations almost on a daily basis. In this backdrop, Imran is all set to make his way to NA-246, which could make further waves within the constituency.

“We shall knock on every door and visit the bazaars as part of our election campaign,” Ismail told The Express Tribune. He said the PTI chairman would have breakfast in NA-246 with the party’s supporters and spend the entire day there, adding that Imran would also offer fateha at Jinnah Ground on Yadgar-e-Shuhada (the monument of MQM’s martyrs).

“The people of Karachi live in fear and that is why they can’t vote according to their will,” said Imran. “I have come to Karachi to bring my people out of fear.”

According to him, change has come to Karachi and that is why Ismail is contesting from Azizabad. “This one seat doesn’t matter to any party, but we want to end this atmosphere of fear.”

Asked about a possible alliance between the PTI and the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Imran said his party would try to win the JI over to withdraw its candidate in favour of Ismail.

Terming himself ‘half migrant’, he said his mother had also migrated to Pakistan but now he considered himself a Pakistani. “Citizens of Pakistan are one and are only Pakistanis; they should not stay separated.”

‘PTI is welcome’

Talking about MQM chief Altaf Hussain welcoming the PTI on its upcoming public meeting at Jinnah Ground, Imran termed it a ‘good gesture’.

Altaf had assured the PTI that MQM’s workers would be there to receive Imran. “There will be no sloganeering or hooliganism of any kind. Jinnah Ground is yours and you may hold your public meeting here.”

MQM’s nominee for NA-246 Kanwar Naveed said: “If he (Altaf) has welcomed Imran, it means he is welcome here.”

The MQM chief has stressed that the by-election be contested in a friendly manner, by keeping all the emotions and fieriness under control.

Re-elections

Talking about the judicial commission for investigating the party’s allegations regarding ‘rigging’ in the 2013 general elections, Imran termed a “historic move for the nation”.

Earlier, attending a dialogue with civil society representatives of Sindh at the residence of PTI member Zulfiqar Halepoto in Hyderabad, Imran said: “The PTI will demand re-elections if the judicial commission established rigging in the 2013 polls.” However, he added, if the commission said that there was no rigging, then “we shall congratulate the ruling party”.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 9^th, 2015.