PPP rejects two Karachi mayors’ theory

Amid reports making the rounds on social media that the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party might opt to bifurcate Karachi into two administrative divisions to settle the mayoral controversy with the Jamaat-e-Islami, the PPP has said that it has no intentions to appoint two mayors in the city.

Posts appeared on social media suggesting that two mayors should be appointed in Karachi in the aftermath of the split mandate given by the residents of the city in favour of both PPP and the JI after the January 15 local government polls. The posts further suggest carving out another administrative division of Karachi so as to appoint two mayors in the city.

The theory goes on to suggest appointing a mayor from the JI to manage the district where Jamaat’s candidates have secured an overwhelming majority while another mayor should be appointed for the suburban areas of the city where the PPP candidates have won the vast majority of the seats.

A post by former Sindh advocate general Barrister Zamir Ghumro suggested that the Sindh government might go for creating two divisions in Karachi. “First division comprises South, Keamari Korangi, and Malir with PPP mayor, and the second made of Central, East, and West districts with JI mayor. Karachi presently has three DIGs while Delhi in India has 11 districts and three municipal corporations,” said Ghumro in his post.

Amid these social media posts, Sindh PPP president Nisar Ahmed Khuhro told media persons on Friday that there was no truth in reports that the Sindh government of the Peoples Party would divide Karachi into two divisions.

He mentioned that Sindh Local Government Act 2013 carried the provision of just one metropolitan corporation to be present in Karachi. He said more than one metropolitan corporation had to be formed in Karachi if in case it was bifurcated into two divisions.

The conversation between Khuhro and journalists also hinted that the ruling PPP was also not in a hurry to nominate its candidate for the position of next Karachi mayor.

Khuhro said the time had not come for the PPP to make a final decision in this regard. He stated this despite the fact that as per the unofficial results released by the Election Commission of Pakistan the PPP candidates have won the most number of seats in the local government polls held in Karachi on January 15.

He told the media persons that the new house of the City Council was yet to be formed as the newly elected local government representatives were yet to take the oath of their office.

He said there were also 11 seats still vacant in Karachi where elections would be held in the near future as polls had been held so far to fill 235 seats of the City Council.

Moreover, polls have to be held to fill the reserved seats in the City Council as later on the stage would come to hold elections for the new mayor and the deputy mayor of Karachi, said Khuhro. “The Peoples Party will make a decision about its mayoral candidate in the last,” he said.

Khuhro is most likely to be elected unopposed as senator on a seat of the upper house of the parliament that has become vacant due to the resignation of PTI leader Faisal Vawda. The two covering candidates of the PPP withdrew their nomination papers to pave the way for the unopposed election of Khuhro.

No candidate of any other party submitted the nomination papers to contest the polls. Khuhro thanked the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the Grand Democratic Alliance for opting not to field any candidate to contest the Senate by-poll in Sindh.