United for a common ‘cause’

As the historic general elections draw nearer, the political parties have started recruitment of workers to maximise their strength against each other, but nobody seems to notice that extremist elements are also gathering silently under their banners to attain a new political cover, it has been reliably learnt on Wednesday.

In the metropolis, the Pukhtuns vote bank had been as many parted ways with the Awami National Party (ANP), assumed to be the only political party representing Pukhtuns in the metropolis, and instead joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI). In a similar trend as was being witnessed in Khyber Pukhtunkhawa (KPK), the ANP was receiving constant threats from the Taliban in the city and the PTI had replaced ANP in almost all Pukhtun dominated areas in the metropolis. The Taliban had earlier issued warnings to the ANP and another important provincial party, namely the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), preventing these from carrying out political activities in the metropolis, but interestingly gave a green signal to the PTI to establish its network in the Pukhtun dominated areas.

Meanwhile, the ANP accused the PTI for using Taliban against them in KPK and the metropolis while PTI rejected the allegations by claiming that Taliban have some fundamental disputes with the ANP ideology and reiterated that the party was not using Taliban against the interests of ANP. Earlier, the Sindh Police had submitted its report before the Supreme Court (SC) Karachi Registry during hearing of law and order implementation case on 21^st March, in which police claimed that it had arrested around 208 target killers, including nine belonging to the PTI, since 6^th October, 2011. The admission of police before the court regarding arresting nine target killers belonging to PTI during raids carried out since October 2011, have also raised many eyebrows.

“Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Chief Hakeemullah Mehsood had declared democracy un-Islamic but why are they providing support to the PTI for carrying out its activities in KPK and Pukhtun-dominated areas in the metropolitan,” ANP senior leader Rana Gul Afridi told Pakistan Today. “Our local leader in Ittehad Town was gunned down by Taliban for defying their warnings of suspending political activities in the town,” he added.

“I have been assigned to run ANP campaign from the city but I am receiving threatening calls from Waziristan in which Taliban are demanding from me to quit politics for good,” Afridi claimed. “There were only flags and banners of ANP in the city a few months back, but now you can see PTI flags everywhere,” he observed.

“Interestingly, these were the same areas of the metropolis from where the Taliban are giving threats to ANP and demanding suspension of political activities, but at the same time the PTI is emerging as an alternate power in those very same areas,” Afridi alleged. “Those areas of the city which were believed to be the stronghold of ANP, has now become a deadly ground for us,” Afridi added.

“If you visit Sohrab Goth, you will see the flags and banners of PTI that replaced the ANP flags in the last few days,” Afridi accused, adding that if Taliban were demanding them to wind up offices in Pukhtun dominated areas, why then was PTI allowed to set their offices at the same locations.”

A well-informed PTI leader of the metropolis, who wished not to be named, told Pakistan Today that many people have started joining PTI, particularly the Pukhtuns. “A large number of Pukhtuns parted ways with ANP and joined PTI in the city and the process of new comers was continued till date, but we do not have enough time to scrutinise those persons who were becoming a part of the party before to general elections, he added.

“PTI has a system and if the local leader sends membership request to the central leadership, then he/she will get membership,” he said. “If anyone paints the PTI flag on the boundary wall of his/her house and hoist PTI flag outside, then it doesn’t necessarily mean that he is a member of PTI,” he acknowledged.

“If we recall the recent past, then every political party in the city faced difficulties in contesting from every national or provincial assembly seat, but it is a pride for an emerging party like the PTI that it has suitable and powerful candidates for every national or provincial assembly seat,” PTI Sindh President Nadir Akmal Laghari said.

“The people of Karachi have tried regional political party many times but now they have started looking for a new national party and found PTI,” Laghari claimed. “To fulfill the aspirations of local residents, the PTI would contest from every national and provincial assembly seat in the metropolis,” he reiterated.

“All political parties of the city have terrorist wings except the PTI, and this is the only reason that people have started looking for non-violent emerging national political parties to get their outstanding issues resolved on priority basis,” Laghari added. “The literacy rate of the metropolis is comparatively high as compared to other cities of the country and literate masses are proving valuable assets for the party,” he noted.

“There are few reasons behind Pukhtun partipation in PTI which are as follows: Firstly PTI Chief Imran Khan himself is a Pukhtun, but this will have very little impact on the overall election results. Secondly, the Pukhtuns were impressed with the PTI’s stance on the ongoing war on terror, and lastly the PTI chief always speaks about maintaining the self respect of Pukhtuns,” he said.

“We cannot hook-up Pukhtuns with Taliban and if anybody says that Taliban, in the guise of Pukhtuns, are joining the PTI, then it would be wrong to say so,” Lagahri clarified, while adding that PTI was the only party that had adopted self-characterising method and it would not be possible for any extremist to become part of the party.

Furthermore, Laghari said, “We have issued party cards to our workers and displayed the details of our members at our official website.” adding that if any extremist has become member of PTI then he would be easily detected.” He added that when he was asked about the reason as to why Taliban were demanding from ANP to suspend its political activities and allowing PTI to carry out their activities with complete freedom, he had said at that time that Taliban have fundamental issues with the ANP but they have no such fundamental issue with PTI.

Responding to the police report submitted before SC, he said that PTI was a non-violent party and it had no links with any extremists, as was otherwise claimed by opposing political parties. “No one can prove that the arrested targeted killers were part of the PTI,” he challenged.