Located within National Assembly constituency in Azizabad, the Hussainabad Food Street has been flooding with customers in the wake of the election campaigns that are underway for NA-246.
A large number of visitors attended the restaurants situated in the food street before their arrival or departure from the constituency. The shop owners extended the time of operation and some of the restaurants in the food street closed down just before dawn and reopened soon after.
The Hussainabad Food Street is known as one of the most popular food streets in the city. The food street attracts visitors from Liaquatabad, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Nazimabad, and Federal B Area. Over a small period the food street has emerged as alternative to Burns Road (a famous and primitive food centre in the metropolis).
The NA-246 constituency, which lies in Karachi’s Azizabad area, was left vacant last month after the then Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) MNA Nabeel Gabol resigned from his seat.
As per details, Hussainabad Food Street has proved as a sigh of relief for the workers and supporters of MQM, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), who after flexing their muscles in the election campaign visit the area for refreshment. The food street has also emerged as a site for corner meeting for the workers and supporters of the political parties contesting NA-246 by-polls.
On the other hand, the shop owners in the food street called the by-election as a blessing. They claimed that the political activity has proved beneficial so far as the number of visitors has increased with the start of the election campaign. The only drawback at this point in time seems to be the fact that families have, for the time being at least, started avoiding the area.
“We have dinner at any one of the restaurants within the food street while the election campaign is ongoing,” Ali, who claimed to be a voter and supporter of the PTI, said. “I invite my friends to participate in the election campaign for PTI and on our way back to our homes we always stop here and get some refreshments,” he added.
He claimed that the by-polls have emerged as a point of gathering. “When I think of what I will do after the by-polls are over a strange sadness envelops me as I’m not sure what excuse I’ll have to use to get my friends to come down here for a meet up,” he added sadly.
The shopkeepers are happy with the energy in the area, too. “If I will say that the NA-246 by-polls has emerged as a blessing for the shopkeepers here then I will be right,” a restaurant owner said. “Usually, we closed our shops after midnight. However, we have started winding-up our operation before dawn with the start of the election campaign for NA-246,” he added.
“Sometimes the activists of the political parties arrive at our restaurant and start political debates here, but up till now no unpleasant incident has taken place,” the restaurant owner said.
“Businesses here have been slowing down with each passing day due to the political and economic crisis in the country, but the by-polls in the area have given us an opportunity to fix that and overcome our losses,” he said.