Six-party alliance fails to wrest top slot from MQM, thanks to PTI’s ‘betrayal’

Karachi

The six-party electoral alliance has failed to snatch the top municipal slot of District West from the jaws of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) because of betrayal by one of the component political parties – the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

In the 67-member District Municipal Corporation, the MQM emerged the largest political party with its candidate grabbing 32 seats, according to unofficial results. 

The six-party alliance, comprising the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the PTI, the Pakistan People’s Party, the Awami National Party and the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, had been formed to compete against the MQM.

The MQM had appointed Izharuddin Ahmed, former Nazim of SITE Town, for the slot of chairman of the DMC West, while for the slot of deputy chairman it had named its Pashtun leader, Gul Faraz Khattak, as the candidate.

The alliance, which has 35 members belonging to its component parties, had nominated the PML-N’s Asif Khan, younger brother of MPA Humayun Khan, for the position of chairman, while for the slot of deputy chairman the PTI’s Azizullah Afridi, who was the party’s former Karachi secretary general, had been named.   

The alliance has already distributed seats – including chairman, vice-chairman and reserved seats for labours, women, youth and non-Muslim – among the member parties.

The situation became tense at the DC West office when unofficial results declared the MQM’s Ahmed chairman and the PTI’s Afridi deputy chairman. Ahmad reportedly received 36 votes, while the PTI’s Afridi received 44 votes.

After the announcement of the unofficial results, workers belonging to the alliance members began protesting and chanting slogans and fighting occurred between activists of the PTI and the PML-N. However, Rangers and police present on the site controlled the situation.

Abdul Razzaq, the JI District West’s head and a leader of the alliance, told The News that the PTI’s four members had sold their votes to the MQM.

“A day before the polls, the PTI leadership took an oath not to betray, but today they have sold their votes,” Razzaq told The News. “Even without supporting the MQM, the PTI could win the slot of vice-chairman”.

A central leader of the PPP, Senator Saeed Ghani, also said that of the 35 votes the MQM candidate got for the chairman’s slot, 20 votes were marked with numbers and any tempered ballot should be rejected.

“Under Section 39 (4)©(2) of the Sindh Local Council Election Rules 2015, a ballot having any mark other than official mark cannot be count,” Ghani tweeted.

However, the returning officer withheld the results, hours after the polling ended. The Election Commission of Pakistan did not explain the reason for withholding the results.  The DMC West comprises former defunct towns of Keamari, SITE, Orangi and Baldia.