Epic election encounters in Quaid’s city

LAHORE: Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan, has attained central stage in the prevailing political situation as heads of six political parties are contesting general elections from here.

Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan are the heads of mainstream political parties who have fielded themselves from Karachi where leading figures of MQM Pakistan Dr Farooq Sattar, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqi, Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) Chairman Mustafa Kamal, Mohajir Qaumi Movement Chairman Afaq Ahmed are also contesting from different constituencies of Karachi.

Besides, noted political figures, including Awami National Party’s provincial head Senator Shahid Syed, Senator Salim Zia, Miftah Ismael, Shehla Raza are also in the contest.

Karachi, the largest city and the commercial capital of Pakistan comprises of districts, including Maleer, Korangi, East, West, South and Central. It is home to around 20 million people, according to NADRA record, whereas 2017 shows its population around 17 million. The population includes an Urdu speaking majority called Mohajirs who migrated from India at the time of partition. The Mohajir community also includes Memons (who migrated from Indian state of Gujarat), Biharis and Bengalis.

Besides, Pakhtuns are also a noticeable part of Karachi population followed by Punjabis, Sindhis, Saraeki and people from almost every part of Pakistan.

Keeping in view great ethnic diversity of Karachi and its impact on the electorate, it would be difficult to rule out upsets in the July 25 polls. Besides, the massive inroads of religious political parties like JUI-F and Jamaat-e-Islami and their merger with MMA, the religious vote bank is likely to be quite visible in the polls.

For the 2018 general elections, almost every party participating in the polls have fielded its candidates from the 21 seats.

For years Karachi remained a political battleground between PPP and right wing forces, predominantly Jamaat-e-Islami; however, with the entrance of MQM to the political scene, Jamaat-e-Islami suffered a complete whitewash whereas PPP remained confined to only one or two National Assembly seats.

Between 1988 and 2013, Mohajir Qaumi Movement which later turned into Muttehida Qaumi Movement founded by Altaf Hussain, won major chunk of seats from Karachi and had its control over the Municipal Corporation (Baldia) for most of the time. In the 1988 elections, which was first general election of MQM and it announced its arrival with a bang. The MQM won all seats in Karachi and lost two from where the PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto and Syed Ameer Hyder Kazmi won.

In 1990, MQM won all seats and PPP won the only seat that was of Lyari from where Asif Ali Zardari emerged victorious.

In 1993 general elections, in which a new faction out of Muttehida had emerged, the MQM announced boycotting the National Assembly election which paved the way for the PPP and the PML-N to win six seats each from Karachi and on one seat, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Muzaffar Hashmi won.

In 1997, it was MQM which won major chunk of seats whereas PPP won the Lyari seat after a very tough contest against PML-N. The PPP candidate Waja Kareem Dad won that seat with a margin of around 300 votes. The PML-N, interestingly, showed a better result than the PPP from Karachi in 1997 as it clinched two NA seats of Karachi in form of Ejaz Shafi who won from Kemari side and Haleem Siddiqi, who won from Maleer, Steel Town areas.

In 2002, MQM’s winning streak was challenged by Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal, a reactionary alliance of six religious parties whose candidates, including Hakim Qari Gul Rehman, Muhammad Laeeq Khan, Abdul Sattar Afghani, Muhammad Hussain Mehnti, Asadullah Bhutto won while defeating the MQM candidates. The MQM; however, won 13 out of 20 NA seats of Karachi; five were clinched by MMA and two were by PPP in form of Nabil Gabul and Sher Muhammad Baloch.

In the 2008 general elections, the MQM lost three seats from where Nabil Gabul, Sher Muhammad Baloch and Abdul Qadir Patel won.

In the 2013 general elections, MQM continued to rule Karachi and won major chunk of seats other than won by Hakeem Baloch of the PML-N, Arif Alvi of the PTI and Shah Jahan Baloch of the PPP. The PPP won one more seat in the by-poll when Hakeem Baloch quit the PML-N and emerged victorious as the PPP candidate.

The 2018 general elections are being held after MQM Founder Altaf Hussain and his London-run party has been banned from taking part in political activities.

MQM-Pakistan Chapter is partly controlled by Farooq Sattar and partly by Khalid Maqbool Siddiqi whereas a new party in form of PSP has also emerged on political map which is led by former District Nazim of Karachi Musatafa Kamal.

The PSP leadership, which is a vociferous critic of the MQM Founder Altaf Hussain, has also fielded candidates from all seats. The MQM London has announced boycotting the polls due to which still, the electioneering in Karachi hasn’t attained its traditional colour. Religious parties are once again united in form of MMA which are also trying to repeat the 2002-like result. The epic election battles are expected on different seats of Karachi and PPP, being the largest party of Sindh, has fielded Bilawal Bhutto, son of Benazir Bhutto and Asif Zardari who is making his electoral debut.

NA-246: Bilawal Bhutto vs Salim Zia

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the PPP Chairman, is contesting from this seat which comprises of main Lyari, an area that has proven itself a stronghold of the PPP almost every time and from where, party hasn’t suffered any defeat over the NA seat, though its lost to the PML-N on a provincial seat in 1997.

The significance of this constituency is that Bilawal’s mother, Benazir Bhutto also made her electoral debut from this seat in 1988. Benazir also won from Lahore, Larkana and Tando Muhammad Khan seats in that polls. In 1990, Bilawal’s father, Asif Ali Zardari also won with huge margin from this seat and now the PPP Chairperson is the third person of his family who is contesting from here.

The Provincial Assembly candidates of the PPP from this constituency are Javaid Nagori, Abdul Majeed Baloch and some part of a provincial seat from where Rasheed Nurani is contesting.

The PML-N has pitched its stalwart Senator Salim Zia from NA-246 who also got elected MPA in 1997 while defeating MQM’s former MPA Captain Syed Ali and PTI’s Dr Arif Alvi. Salim Zia in that contest got 13,636 votes followed by 9,782 of Captain Ali. Dr Arif Alvi of the PTI stood at number three with 2,200 votes. Salim Zia, the PML-N candidate, is also running his campaign with full fervour. His Provincial Assembly candidates include former LG member and head of the PML-N Karachi organisation Sultan Bahadur who is contesting from PS-108 whereas Rana Farooq, other PML-N candidate is contesting from PS-107.

From NA-246, the MQM Pakistan has pitched Mehfuz Yar Khan whereas Pak Sar Zameen Party candidate from this seat is Ejaz Baloch. Abdul Shakoor Shad is the PTI candidate till date whereas MMA has fielded Maulana Anwarul Haq from here. Awami National Party is in contest with Hazrat Gul. Tehreek-e-Labbaik is also contesting from NA-246 and he has awarded ticket to Allama Bilal Salim.

NA-243: Imran Khan vs Shehla Raza vs Ali Raza Abidi

Another interesting contest is taking place in a Karachi East constituency NA-243 from where PTI Chairman Imran Khan has fielded himself against former MNA of MQM Ali Raza Abidi and former Deputy Speaker Sindh Assembly Syed Shehla Raza. This constituency has been carved out while bifurcating previous NA-253 from where Muzammil Qureshi of MQM in last general elections.

This constituency has been a stronghold of the MQM; the poll results has also shown ethnic diversity here. The areas that fall in the constituency included Gulshan-e-Iqbal, an ample part of Gulistan-e-Johar, Scheme 33, the areas close to Karachi University, Safoora Goth and other than Urdu speaking Mohajir community, the constituency is a home to Balochs, Sindhi, Pakhtuns and Punjabis.

Although the MQM won that seat with a margin of nearly 40,000 votes in last general election as its candidate Muzammil Qureshi got around 100,000 votes against 62,000 votes of PTI, the latter still believes that it could create an upset mode under a level playing field.

The PTI candidate Ashraf Jabbar Qureshi got 61,913 from this constituency and with Imran Khan in the contest, results could be far better than 2013. Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal has fielded Osama Razi from this seat whereas former MNA Asadullah Bhutto, who won in 2002 and got over 12,000 votes from NA-253 is contesting from NA-242 this time.

The PPP has fielded Shehla Raza from this seat. The PPP candidate Murad Baloch got 10,127 votes in last general elections.

In the 2002 general elections, Asadullah Bhutto remained winner from most of the parts falling in current NA-243 whereas in 2008, it was MQM’s Hyder Abbas Rizvi who won the seat and PPP candidate Faisal Raza Abidi also showed a good result while bagging around 47,000 votes. The PML-N has field Sheikh Shah Jahan from here but the local people envisage a contest between MQM and PTI.

NA-249: Shahbaz Sharif vs Faisal Wadwa vs Qadir Mandokhel

Shahbaz Sharif has been the first member of Sharif family who has fielded himself from the soil of Karachi and now being the PML-N President, he is the candidate from NA-249, a seat from where he is tested by PTI’s Faisal Wadwa and PPP’s Abdul Qadir Mandokhel.

This seat comprises of the areas close to Kemari, including Kumhar Para, Niazi Mohalla, Rangar, Kohati Mohalla, Junagarh Mohalla, some part of Mominabad. This area comprises of majority of Balochs, Pakhtuns, majority of them settled here from Balochistan, Memons, Urdu speaking Mohajir community. For last three general elections, this constituency has been giving surprising results and upsets have occurred here in the form of defeat of two major parties of Karachi, including MQM, PPP. The current NA-249 has been carved out of previous NA-239.

In the 2002 general elections, an upset mode was seen here in form of the victory of Hakim Qari Gul Rehman who defeated the PPP candidate Iftikhar Hassan after a very tough contest. The MMA candidate won the seat while getting 22,164 votes whereas the runner-up got 21,461.

In 1993 and 1997, it was the PML-N that had created upset from this seat in form of Ejaz Shafi who, however, lost the 2002 polls from both seats.

In 2002, MMA clinched this seat whereas in 2008, it was PPP’s Abdul Qadir Patel who won the seat with a margin of over 30,000 votes against Dr KS Baloch of the MQM. The PML-N candidate got around 13,000 votes in that contest.

In 2013, Salman Baloch of the MQM emerged victorious from here and PPP’s Qadir Patel lost with a margin of around 9,000 votes. Now, Shahbaz Sharif is contesting from here. The PML-N has quite successfully earned the support of Awami National Party which has withdrawn its candidate in the favour of Shahbaz Sharif. The MMA has fielded Attaullah Shah from here and keeping in view the 20,954 votes bagged by JUI-F candidate in 2013 general elections from this seat, it will be hard to ignore MMA from the contest. Tehreek-e-Labbaik is in the run with Mufti Abid whereas the PSP has fielded Wasim Aftab.

Senator Mushahid Ullah Khan of the PML-N predicted victory of Shahbaz Sharif from this seat owing to the party strength in the constituency. This is noteworthy that father of former MNA Salman Baloch is now contesting as the PPP candidate from a provincial constituency which is a plus point for the party which also seems optimistic to win the seat again.

Besides, MQM Pakistan Convener Farooq Sattar is contesting from NA-247 against former MNAs Arif Alvi (PTI) Aziz Memon (PPP) and Muhammad Hussain Mehnti of MMA. Fauzia Kasuri is the PSP candidate from here.

Farooq Sattar is also in the run from another NA-245 where he is being challenged by his own former party man Dr Amir Liaqat, who is now in PTI and Dr Saghir Ahmed of PSP. Former unelected Finance Minister Miftah Ismael has been fielded as the PML-N candidate from NA-244 and he is facing MQM’s Rauf Siddiqi and PTI’s Ali Zaidi.

The PSP Chairman Mustafa Kamal is contesting from NA-253, Karachi Central and he is challenged by MQM’s Usama Qadri. Mohajir Qaumi Movement head Afaq Ahmed is contesting from NA-240, Karachi, Korangi and he is facing former MNAs Asif Hasnain of the PSP and Iqbal Ali Khan of the MQM-Pakistan.