MQM proves itself
The NA-246 elections have been held at a time when the MQM is in a tight corner on account of arrests of activists, confessional statements and reports of a key figure in Imran Farooq murder case having been nabbed. Had the MQM been defeated or if there was a reduction in the percentage of its share of votes compared to 2013, this would have confirmed the perception that the party was losing support in urban Sindh.
Unusual arrangements were made by the ECP in N A-246 to ensure fair elections. These included deployment of 5,000 policemen and Rangers in the constituency, installing security cameras at all polling stations and ensuring an uninterrupted supply of power in the constituency. Never before had such care been taken to stop rigging.
The partial results show MQM far ahead of PTI and JI. A full analysis of the results would be possible only after the official figures of total votes cast along with votes secured by each party are released by the ECP. What is however amply clear is that the votes jointly secured by the PTI and JI, standing second and third consecutively, are less than half of those got by the winner.
The results should be an eye opener for the establishment, the PTI and JI. The establishment has to realise that political parties can only be discredited through a political process. While politicians indulging in crime must be brought to justice, cases alone may not make them unpopular. What is more, any perception of vindictiveness is liable to turn the leaders into martyrs in the eyes of their supporters. The PTI has to realise that hubris and hype cannot compensate for hard work. The JI has to understand that a small cadre party cannot defeat a well-entrenched party on its own.
The Karachi results would strengthen the ECP’s view that while there might have been irregularities and malpractices in individual constituencies, the 2013 elections were on the whole “a true and fair reflection” of the mandate given by the electorate.