Game Karachi: What the players say

Karachi
This is the second part of our in-depth interviews with senior leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan People’s Party.
The key players and leaders of the big four in Karachi’s political fray — Waseem Akhtar, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, Ali Zaidi and Najmi Alam, respectively — sat down with The News to discuss the trials and tribulations the parties faced in the run up to the historic local government election being held today across the six districts of Karachi.

PTI’S tryst with JI
The News: Isn’t the alliance between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) a vindication of the notion that both parties have the same ideological bases?
Ali Zaidi, the Karachi organizer for PTI: No, we two different political parties and have completely different ideologies. Our model of a Madinah state is completely different from that of JI’s. We stand for the live and let live policy and we believe that Islam is a secular religion.
However, politics doesn’t always have to be about left and right. It has to be about right or wrong. We may be two very different parties but we share a common agenda and that is of establishing peace in the city.
Hafiz Naeem, Karachi Ameer of JI: This is not a merger of parties. We are two distinct political parties who are cooperating with each other.
Mualana Maududi had also built alliances with communists and atheists, and Islam advises us to join hands with others if the cause you fight for is the same. We have joined hands to take out a mafia operating in Karachi. Our aim is to establish peace in Karachi and for that we can also form alliances with the Christian and Hindu communities.
The News: So basically its alliance based on ‘Bughz-e-MQM’ and nothing else?
Ali Zaidi: We have come together for the love for Karachi, nor our hate for MQM. Today, the people are scared of buying a luxurious care because it might attract robbers. You haven’t heard our leaders threatening of bloody uprisings, because we have nothing to fear from our past. The MQM is only reaping what it sowed. We will not have any issues with the MQM if it shuns its violent tricks.
Hafiz Naeem: No, it’s based on our common agenda of bringing peace in Karachi. The PTI’s manifesto for local government election too calls for the formation of an Islamic welfare state. Our manifestoes are the same but our campaigns on the ground might be a little different.
The News: The JI has been criticized for using pictures of Mumtaz Qadri in a banner in one of the areas in the city. What do you have to say about that?
Ali Zaidi: I have raised strong objections with the JI leadership. Let me clarify that we don’t have any alliance with JI in the union council where the banners had Mumtaz Qadri’s photos. Our party’s stance was tweeted by our central information Naeem-ul-Haq, and it is pretty clear.
Hafiz Naeem In the local bodies polls, if a candidate believes that he or she can fetch votes by using the name of Mumtaz Qadri in a particular constituency, they will use it. Similarly, in a separate constituency, if he or she feels that using Salmaan Taseer’s name will give an advantage, they will go with that. (TN interjects – So, is this the strategy the JI has adopted?)
Everyone else is also doing it too. However, this is not one of Karachi’s main issues, so let’s not talk about it. It is irrelevant…we have greater problems to focus on.
The News: The JI has made an alliance with Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) in some union councils of the city. Does the PTI have any reservations over it? What is the JI’s and PTI’s stance on ASWJ?
Ali Zaidi: We don’t have an alliance with the JI in all union councils of the city, only in particular districts. So whoever may ally with the ASWJ, be it the PPP, ANP or JI, it is none of our concern. We think the ASWJ is a terrorist organisation and we condemn any entity that is involved in sectarianism. I have said it on record with the leadership of JI that I resent and despise their decision of allying with the ASWJ.
Hafiz Naeem: The candidate is a former member of the ASWJ and is contesting the election on JI’s ticket. He is a religious preacher, an unbiased person and has a good reputation in his neighbourhood.
The News: The widely held perception is that MQM is better in administering Karachi, since their leadership derives their support from here. The sense of ownership which the MQM provides seems to be amiss from PTI and JI. What is your take on this?
Ali Zaidi: Tell me who can own Karachi better… Imran Khan or a British citizen in exile? You may not agree with Imran Khan or Siraj-ul-Haq but but you have to accept the fact that both leaders live in the country and have no corruption cases against them. As for support from Karachiites, you have seen our rallies and the support demonstrates that the people of the city are with us. A sense of fear still prevails in the city and many people still don’t admit their political affiliations openly.
Hafiz Naeem: During the previous City District Government Karachi led by the MQM, between 4,000 and 4,500 people were appointed as city wardens and 1,000 of them performed security duties at the Nine Zero. The party employed between 8,000 and 9,000 more people in the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board. But it didn’t result in any improvement in its performance and we were the ones who managed to steer the board out of crisis. Another MQM leader hired 1,300 people in the Karachi Port Trust in a single night. Is that how well the MQM governed Karachi?
The News: What is the post-election power sharing deal between JI and PTI?
Ali Zaidi: We have candidates on 153 seats out of 209 union councils and the numbers speak for themselves. The Jamaat has good organisational structure and we compliment each others’ efforts.
Hafiz Naeem: There is healthy competition between us. If I want to make my candidate successful as an elected chairman then I make sure that PTI`s candidate for vice-chairman is also successful, and vice versa. We will compliment each others’ efforts in a healthy environment.
The News: On your alliance`s demand, Rangers would be deployed on election day and if the MQM still prevails with a thumping win, what will be the stances of JI and PTI?
Hafiz Naeem: We will accept them as a political reality. But bear in mind even if 500,000 people chooses to go for wrong. The wrong won’t become right.
Ali Zaidi: We will accept their mandate.

‘Political victimisation’
The News: How has the MQM’s election campaign faired so far?
Waseem Akhtar, Member MQM’s Coordination Committee: The MQM has not been able to campaign efficiently due to the arrests of its party workers and raids on its offices. The state is against us and even our banners are taken off and replaced with ones stating “Say no to crime and corruption”.
Everyone knows who is doing it. We face insurmountable challenges and the odds are against us, but we are still going to contest the election.
The News: The PTI received a significant number of votes in Karachi during the 2013 election. Do you think the people of Karachi have pinned their hopes again on another political entity?
Waseem Akhtar: PTI’s policies in the recent past have distanced their voters in Karachi. Their current policies, such as contesting election with the JI and using the picture of convict Mumtaz Qadri on election banners, are not fooling anyone. The people of Karachi are moderate and they have now seen the real face of PTI. Their vote bank has diminished and you saw that in the result of NA-246 by-election though the Rangers had supervised the election on their demand.
The News: Opposition parties accuse the MQM of hiring ghost employees in the KMC and also call the party a threat to Karachi’s security. Isn’t it true that one of the main suspect in Dr Imran Farooq murder case, was also one of the many ghost employees of the water board? What will you say about this?
Waseem Akhtar: This is all propaganda. Imran Farooq’s case is not linked with Pakistan and nothing has been proven except for a medial trial. We have zero tolerance for criminals. If we had put terrorists in municipal organisations then the people of Karachi would not have put their trust in us repeatedly and we would not have won the NA-246 by-election.
The News: There are fears that the escalated friction between the law-enforcement agencies and MQM might worsen further, if your party wins the election. Is this a possibility?
Waseem Akhtar: We were the ones who demanded an operation in Karachi when 20 innocent people were being killed every day. It is for the security institutions to think we are not part of the problem but part of the solution. Our armed forces are our pride and we want to work with them.

'Unholy' deals of the PPP
The News: Why has a liberal and secular party like the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has formed an alliance with the ASWJ?
Najmi alam, Karachi president of PPP: Let me correct you... the PPP has not formed any alliance with the ASWJ. When the central leadership came to know that someone from local government candidates had allied with ASWJ, the matter was investigated. The candidate is not a member of the ASWJ. He is a cleric but not associated by the ASWJ. If that had been the case the PPP would have withdrawn from contesting the election. We don’t compromise our ideals for a union council.
The News: Given the PPP’s performance in the province and the recent arrests on corruption charges, do you think the PPP faces a tough time in Karachi?
Najmi Alam: If our performance has been so disastrous than why have the people voted for us again in 2008 and 2013? I will not say we are perfect but you can’t brush off the fact that we too are facing a tough media trial. Let the National Accountability Bureau investigate, we will fight them.
I am confident that the district municipal councils of Malir and South will be ours and our candidates will be in the majority in the district council. In Lyari, we are contesting on 11 seats with the PPP’s symbol, have formed an alliance for one seat with the Awami National Party and are supporting independents on three seats.