KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) party has declared its support for the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) candidate in the upcoming election for the Karachi mayor’s position.
The PTI made the announcement on Twitter, alleging that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), another key contender in the mayoral election, had engaged in pre-poll rigging and the abduction of local government representatives.
پی ٹی آئی کراچی کا اہم فیصلہ- pic.twitter.com/aguKLHSQVI
— PTI (@PTIofficial) May 20, 2023
The announcement comes amid ongoing discussions between the PTI and JI regarding the formation of the city and town councils. Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, the JI Karachi chief and the party’s nominee for the mayor’s post, stated that a total of 184 seats were required to establish a local government in Karachi and secure victory in the mayoral election.
After forming a coalition with the PTI, the JI’s total seats would reach 191, according to his assessment based on the results of the Sindh local government elections. The PPP initially emerged as the winner in Karachi with 93 seats, while the JI secured 86 seats and the PTI obtained 40 seats.
However, revised results in March, which excluded 31 union councils, brought the PPP and JI neck and neck, with the former winning 84 union councils and the latter securing 82.
JI offers deputy mayor’s seat to PTI
Expressing confidence in his victory after joining forces with the PTI, Naeem stated that his party had offered the deputy mayor’s seat to the PTI. He also accused the PPP of harassing PTI leaders, conducting raids, offering bribes, and attempting to influence them, referring to these tactics as detrimental to democracy and the PPP’s government.
Naeem alleged that the PPP had manipulated the delimitation process in its favor, allowing them to win in areas with an average voter count of 15,000 to 20,000, while the JI won in constituencies with an average of 45,000 to 50,000 voters. He expressed hope that the JI and PTI could secure victory in three to four more towns once pending cases in the high court and the Election Commission of Pakistan were resolved.
In response to the JI’s concerns about not receiving their deserved powers, Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah asserted that the PPP had the “ethical right” to have its mayor since it won the highest number of seats. Shah emphasized the need for all parties, including the PML-N and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, to come together to run the local council. He stated that the mayor would be from the party with the highest number of seats, and the deputy mayor from the party in the second position, as previously agreed upon by the PPP and JI.
Shah assured the JI that if their candidate was elected as mayor, the Sindh government would grant them full powers. Regarding the arrest of PTI leaders, he stated that if they were detained in connection with the May 9 vandalism and arson cases, they would still have the legal right to cast their votes on election day.
