Democracy is about fair elections, where people are allowed to vote without any fear, to elect representatives of their constituencies where they reside. Unfortunately, the Election Commission of Pakistan has failed to perform this task because it is not a truly independent body, free from financial and administrative control of executive machinery, with powers to summon law enforcement agencies to achieve their constitutional task. The most blatant violations are occurring in the biggest city Karachi, home to nation’s largest port and financial centre. Other than the original inhabitants who reside mostly in Lyari, this city can proudly boast of being home to people from all parts of subcontinent, who have settled here since 1947. Yet residents from interior Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, Punjab, Azad Jamu and Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan, and Balochistan living here for over 50 years, have been delisted from voters list, while their brothers who migrated from across the border enjoy this right.
Voters living in Clifton Cantonment Board, PECHS, KDA, Mohd Ali Society etc have had their names enlisted on voters list in constituencies within Karachi, where they have never had a permanent residence, nor have they lived there in past decade. Demarcation of constituencies have been done with sole aim to dilute voter strength of residents whose political affiliations do not please those who enjoy power in this coalition government and lay claim to be major stake holders of this city.
It is time that residents of Karachi are allowed to vote in the constituencies where they reside, so that their constitutional rights are not violated, nor usurped by those who resort of politics of intimidation and threat. Karachi’s residents need to elect representatives of their choice and this pre-poll rigging must cease forthwith.
ANEELA CHANDIO
Sukkur
Typical MQM tactics, with a pliant PPP willing to let them get away with murder.
This amounts to Electoral Ethnic Cleansing and all fingers point to MQM.
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