LG elections: MQM accused of using ‘force’ to secure seats in Hyderabad

A 10-party alliance has alleged the party threatened candidates to withdraw from the elections

HYDERABAD:

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) is making electoral gains in Hyderabad, although not without facing allegations of harassment and manipulating the official machinery. The ongoing operation in Karachi involving the arrest of its workers and criticism of its central leadership has not dented the party's stewardship of the elections.

The MQM has won unopposed, 22 seats of chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of the union committees (UCs) out of the 96 UCs being contested in the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC).

But, the party's political opponents argue that a degree of leeway is helping the MQM at every step of the election process. "Unlike in Karachi, they have been given a free hand to do things as they please. Neither the security officials nor the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) are listening to our complaints," bemoaned Jamaat-e-Islami's Ameer of Hyderabad, Hafiz Tahir Majeed.

Similar grievances were echoed by the leaders of other parties, who have formed an alliance under a 10-party umbrella dubbed the Tameer-i-Hyderabad Ittehad. "Several of our candidates were either threatened not to appear during the scrutiny [process] or were harassed to withdraw," alleged Zahid Bhurgari, Hyderabad president of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). He added that returning officers (ROs) also created problems for their candidates by rejecting several nominations.

"A returning officer and some assistant returning officers (AROs) instantly passed the information of each Ittehad candidate [who submitted the nomination forms] to the MQM," he maintained. "This [was] followed [by] threatening calls and visits [from the MQM] to our candidates."

On September 22, Bhurgari wrote to the ECP's chief election commissioner, complaining against several ROs, including Qamaruddin Shaikh,  and AROs.

"Shaikh is a member on oath of the MQM ... he is totally partial and loyal to MQM ... and will directly follow instructions of the MQM leaders and there is every possibility of rigging," reads the letter, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune. The PPP leader demanded the removal of all the said ROs and AROs.

Letters have also been written by the Jamaat-e-Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP), whose president, Sahibzada Abul Khair Muhammad Zubair, heads the Ittehad, and other parties.

"Hyderabad's citizens still seem to lack a sense of security when it comes to standing up against the MQM," commented Zubair. "They have already succeeded in the pre-poll rigging and if the army isn't deployed on the election day inside the polling stations, we will revisit the old elections of rampant threats and terrorism," he predicted.

The alliance's leadership is also concerned that holding the local government elections in Karachi two weeks after they are held in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Nawabshah divisions will help the MQM. "They will send thousands of their men from Karachi to Hyderabad, Nawabshah and Mirpurkhas to manipulate the elections," said the JI's Ameer.

However, the MQM denied the charges and questioned why the opponents did not register a complaint if any of their candidates were being intimidated. "Their forms were rejected because they had unpaid utility bills, other dues and issues like wrong addresses," said Rashid Mumtaz, deputy zonal incharge of the MQM.

Mumtaz referred to the SHC's October 6 order, which directed the ROs to accept nomination forms of the JUP's candidates. "There were 23 petitioners in the case but only few turned up to submit the forms," he pointed out.

The Ittehad's candidates either did not submit the nomination forms, were rejected during the scrutiny or withdrew in 24 UCs, which is one fourth of the total. At least 11 candidates who were allocated the UCs by the Ittehad did not submit their nominations. Five of them belonged to the PTI, two to JUP and as many were independents.

"The merger of ten parties led to confusion. It would have been better if a group of only two or three parties fought together against the MQM," a leader of the Ittehad said, requesting anonymity.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 20^th, 2015.