Karachi: Polling underway for by-elections in PS-114

KARACHI: The polling for by-election in PS 114 Karachi is underway here Sunday.

As many as 27 candidates including Pakistan People s Party’s (PPP) Senator Saeed Ghani, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Muhammad Najeeb Haroon, Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan’s (MQM- Pakistan) Kamran Tessori and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz’s (PML N) are contesting the by polls.

In May 2013 general elections, Irfanullah Marwat had won the elections but his victory was declared void by the election tribunal in July 2014.

On May 11 the Supreme Court dismissed Marwat’s appeal challenging the ECP’s decision paving the way for the by polls.

There are a total of 193,000 registered voters in the constituency, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan.

The constituency comprises the localities of Mehmoodabad No 1 to Mehmoodabad No 6, Chanesar Goth, Manzoor Colony, Akhter Colony, Azam Basti, Kashmir Colony, Defence View and the KAECHS (Karachi Administration Employees Cooperative Housing Society).

All 92 polling stations of the constituency have been declared ‘sensitive’ in terms of security.

Political analysts believe that the result of this election will not only help the contending parties assess their strength but also set a voting trend for the next general elections due in 2018.

PS-114 is considered one of the toughest and the most sensitive constituencies of the metropolis, where politician Irfanullah Marwat and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) have fought election battles neck and neck.

Although there are a number of contestants, the main fight is between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the MQM-Pakistan and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

In the 2013 polls, Marwat won the seat with 37,130 votes, defeating the MQM’s Rauf Siddiqui, who secured 30,305 votes, the PTI’s Israr Abbasi, who bagged 13,807 votes, and the PPP’s Sajjad Ahmed Pappi, who got only 3,827 votes.

But the PPP is confident that it would win the by-poll because Ghani is a local of the constituency and has a good reputation. He was elected the nazim of the Chanesar Goth union council in 2001 and his brother, Farhan Ghani, was elected chairman for the neighbourhood in the December 2015 local government polls.

Marwat backing PTI

In the past three general elections, Marwat won PS-114 twice, and, according to analysts, it is mainly because of his personal clout and not because of the political parties he has been associated with.

Late this February, Marwat had met PPP supremo Asif Ali Zardari at the Bilawal House and announced joining the party, triggering criticism of the PPP leadership for welcoming a man who was not only involved in “forcibly changing loyalties of the party’s lawmakers” in the 1990s but was also implicated in the infamous Veena Hayat gang rape case.

Censure on the social media prompted Zardari’s daughters Bakhtawar and Aseefa to express their displeasure over Marwat coming aboard the PPP. According to their tweets, Marwat was a “sick man” who should be “rotting in a jail cell” and should not be allowed anywhere near the party. Marwat’s close aides accuse Ghani of “misguiding” the two women.

However, Marwat has now announced he will not contest the PS-114 by-election and will instead back the PTI’s Najeeb Haroon to give Ghani a hard time. Local observers say Marwat has a strong support base in the constituency and has made the PTI a stronger contender for the by-poll.

Also, because of PTI Karachi General Secretary Sardar Abdul Aziz, the party has managed to muster the support of his brother, Sardar Abdul Rahim, a former PS-114 MPA who is now a Pakistan Muslim Leauge-Functional leader and also enjoys support of the locals.

Security arrangements

Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Khan Siyal has directed the police officers to ensure a peaceful atmosphere and keep an eye on mischievous elements during the bye-election. He also ordered beefing up security by deploying more police personnel as well as sweeping of the polling stations by the bomb disposal squad.

SSP Korejo said that 92 polling stations had been established in 57 buildings, 1,501 police personnel, including three companies of the Rapid Response Force, would be deployed on the day, and 41 mobiles, five armoured personnel carriers and 60 motorcycles are being detailed for duties.

The home minister directed SSP Korejo to ensure that a dedicated police party escorted the polling staff and material from the election commission’s offices to the polling stations and back after the poll.

He directed the zonal and district police of District East to remain in coordination with the Special Branch and the Pakistan Rangers.

Sindh Inspector General of Police AD Khowaja also ordered fool-proof security arrangements for the people in general, and voters, electoral staff and candidates in particular during the by-polls scheduled for Karachi and Kot Diji (Khairpur) on July 9.

Article source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/215393-Karachi-Polling-underway-for-by-elections-in-PS-114