The final phase of Sindh local government elections was held in Karachi’s six districts on Saturday amid high-level security arrangements by Sindh police and Rangers. The polling was held in six districts of Karachi including Karachi East, Karachi West, Karachi South, Karachi Central, Malir, and Korangi.
According to unofficial results, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was leading in the third phase of local government elections by wining 115 UCs out of 247 in Karachi. The Pakistan People’s Party stood second by winning 20 UCs, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf remained came on third by winning 10 UCs, while 25 UC seats were clinched by others.
MQM’s expected candidate for Karachi’s mayorship, Waseem Akhter, was elected as Chairman UC-11 of Disrtict East. He defeated PPP’s District President Zulfiqar Qaimkhani on the chairmanship seat. PPP candidate Alam Khan won District Malir’s UC-1 chairman seat by obtaining 3,500 votes.
PPP’s other candidate Azam Gabol won election for UC-7 Chairmanship in District Malir by securing 2006 votes. PPP’s third candidate Rafique Jatt won election for UC-31 Chairman seat in District Malir. He got 5,200 votes, while PPP Karachi Division President Naji Alam lost chairmanship seat of UC-30 in District South.
JI Karachi Chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman lost the election for UC-18 Chairman seat of Disrtict Central. MQM candidate Mazhar Hussain obtained 3,205 votes by defeating Naeem-ur-Rehman who got only 702 votes. PTI leader Dr Arif Alvi congratulated MQM on winning majority of seats in the local government elections.
In his message on Twitter, Member of National Assembly from Karachi’s NA 246, Dr Alvi, acknowledged that the MQM has won a large number of union councils in the metropolis. He stated that “MQM has won a large number of UCs in Karachi and I congratulate them on this victory.”
MQM leader Farooq Sattar said more than 50 polling volunteers from MQM had been attacked at 25 polling stations in Karachi. In Landhi, fake ballots were cast, he said.
In Karachi, polls were held for one metropolitan corporation (KMC), six district municipal corporations (DMCs) comprising Karachi West, Karachi East, Karachi South, Karachi Central, Korangi and Malir besides district councils that cover rural areas.
The Sindh government deployed 35,057 policemen to provide security to 4,037 polling stations. Some 7,400 Rangers personnel were also deployed across the metropolis to ensure security. The security personnel were deployed at all 4,037 polling stations in the city. The authorities had declared 1,714 polling stations as most sensitive and 1,329 sensitive.
Supporters of political parties scuffled in Landhi, Orangi, Soldier Bazaar, Shamsi Colony in Shah Faisal Colony, and some other areas of the city. Polling was halted at a polling station in Gulistan-i-Jauhar amid a clash between workers of two rival parties. The ECP had given special powers to Sindh Rangers to ensure security.
Private Bus Owners Association’s President Mir Afzal Khan has alleged that police had apprehended association’s 60 buses illegally from different districts of Sindh, including Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allah Yar and Sanghar for local government elections held in Karachi.
Afzal said that on the request of district coordinators during the first and second phase of Sindh’s local government election, they had already provided them vehicles on their demand but this time they had detained their vehicles without any fare two days before the poll which was injustice with them.
