KARACHI: Independent candidates contesting National Assembly seats are spending huge amounts, ranging from Rs200,000 to 1,000,000 on the electioneering. They mostly belong to the middle class having meagre financial resources.

A survey made on election expenses in different NA constituencies of Karachi revealed that the highest amount of Rs450,000 is made on opening of election offices in UCs and wards of a constituency, followed by Rs240,000 on printing and writing of voters’ cards, Rs150,000 on petrol for motorcycles and cars engaged in electioneering and Rs1,000 on displaying about 500 banners in the area.

Javed Ahmed Chattari, an independent candidate for NA-250 told Dawn on Saturday that he had confined his election expenses to only Rs200,000 by cutting expenses on opening election offices and petrol.

Without naming anybody, he said his rivals in the constituency, both party-based and independents, were spending millions of rupees crossing the limit of Rs1.5 million fixed by the Election Commission for electioneering.

He has based his campaign on his election manifesto designed for development of the area and welfare of electorates.

Meanwhile, amid tough competition among heavyweights in NA-253, some candidates are performing on a low profile spending not much on their electioneering. Dureshahwar Pervez, a woman contestant, is one of them who says she has no resources to spend lavishly on her campaign also because being a doctor she mostly counts on free medical and social services provided to the needy and deserving women.

Substantiating her claims about modest expenditure, the woman candidate said originally she had displayed large size banners, but later cut the size on objection raised from her rivals contesting on big party tickets.

She feels it futile to spend lavishly on campaigning because she is accountable to God and then to the public.

Dureshahawar launched her campaign from her modest flat in Hasan Square apartments with only 1,000 posters and banners, which are sporadically seen on poles on main roads in NA-253 constituency.

She refused to give the exact amount she is spending, saying she would be able to present documented account after elections.

Contrary to this, big pomp and show is shown by her party-based rivals in the area through hundreds of large and small banners and hoardings occupying poles and vintage points in the area, she said.

She vividly explained that her election symbol ‘gun’ is not an emblem of terrorism, but it is meant to safeguard the borders and for security to the people.

Even in her personal life, Dureshahawar believes in simplicity and modesty. She claimed that she never engaged a tutor for her children and instead spent her meager resources on the development of a healthy environment in and around the area.

All attempts to contact a major independent candidate, Captain Haleem Siddiqui failed as he did not respond despite several calls. — M.Q.