KARACHI: Instead of fielding local residents, major political parties have brought “outsiders” to contest the July 25 election on a high-profile but badly neglected National Assembly seat — NA-254, Central II — as their candidates are not living within the territorial limits of the constituency that houses the now sealed Nine Zero headquarters of the Altaf Hussain-led Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

While the candidates of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians are not living in the constituency but are residents of Karachi’s Central district, the candidates of the MQM-Pakistan, Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) are not even living in the same district.

Legally, a Pakistani citizen can contest election from anywhere in the country and all he or she needs is to get his candidature proposed and seconded by two residents/registered voters of the constituency.

Seventeen in the run for the NA seat previously won by MQM with huge margins

However, it is hard to believe that an outsider candidate can grasp the voters’ issues and problems at par with someone living in the same constituency.

The decision of these parties has left a question mark on the promises their candidates are making with voters of NA-254 to solve their problems.

The parties concerned, however, tried to play down the significance of fielding a local candidate, as in their almost similar response they claimed that they had nominated “best candidates” from all over Karachi.

Over half a million voters

The sprawling NA-254 constituency comprises the areas previously part of NA-244 and NA-246, considered as an MQM stronghold as the party never lost the two seats, except in 1993 when it boycotted the polls.

Around 15 of the 22 blocks of Federal B Area, including Azizabad where Nine Zero is located, Gharibabad, Karimabad, Sharifabad, Al-Azam, parts of Liaquatabad, some localities in North Karachi are part of NA-254.

A total of 506,309 voters — 273,076 male and 233,233 female — are registered in NA-254. There are a total of 306 polling stations.

NA-254 has two provincial assembly seats — PS-125 and PS-126.

Seventeen candidates, including seven independents, are aspiring for the NA-254 constituency.

The constituency is home to people belonging to the Urdu-speaking, Sindhi, Punjabi, Pakhtun, Ismaili and Memon communities.

Afaq in the run

Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi chief Afaq Ahmed, who is a resident of Defence Housing Authority, is also among the aspirants. The Mustafa Kamal-led PSP fielded Karachi’s deputy mayor Dr Arshad Vohra despite the fact that he lives in KDA Scheme I.

Likewise, the MQM-P fielded Shaikh Salahuddin, who lives in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, and the PTI-nominated Mohammad Aslam Khan, whose residential address as mentioned on the election commission website is of the DHA, as their respective candidates. Mr Salahuddin had returned to the National Assembly in 2013 from the old NA-244 constituency.

The MMA and the PPP fielded Rashid Nasim and Liza Mehdi as their respective candidates. Both of them are also not residents of the NA-254 constituency as they live in North Nazimabad.

The Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan has also fielded its candidate, Mohammad Atiq, on NA-254, but he is also not a resident of the constituency.

The Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen candidate, Syed Mohammad Ali Abidi, is also in the run. Like many other players, he is also not a resident of even Central district as election commission record shows he lives in Gulistan-i-Jauhar.

It is not for the first time that the parties fielded candidates living elsewhere.

MQM founder Altaf Hussain had also fielded “outsider” as well as non Urdu-speaking candidates — Azizullah Brohi and Nabeel Gabol — in the 2002 and 2013 general elections and both of them had won the seat.

Before the 2002 delimitation, the area was part of the NA-187 and NA-188 constituencies and the MQM had won both seats in the 1988, 1990 and 1997 general elections.

Altaf’s boycott call

Mr Hussain has announced a boycott of the July 25 election, asking his supporters to stay at home on polling day. He boycotted the poll since his party was facing an unannounced ban and the powers that be did not allow it to contest the election.

A contingent of Rangers has still been deployed on the street leading to his home in Azizabad as well as in front of the sealed Khurshid Begum Complex despite passing of around two years to his controversial Aug 22, 2016 speech.

Although all major players are in the field, a real contest is expected to take place between the MQM-P and the PSP. But, since the area is a traditional stronghold of Mr Hussain’s MQM, his boycott call may affect the prospects of the MQM-P and the PSP, as those keeping an eye on electoral politics say that in case of a low turnout the PTI and the MMA can benefit from the situation.

But, many believe that Mr Hussain’s boycott call will not affect the overall polling in the constituency because of the presence of the MQM-P and the PSP which are currently busy in voters’ mobilisation.

While the election campaign of the MQM-P is somewhat dull, the campaigns of the PSP, MMA and PTI are in full swing.

The parties have hung their banners bearing their election symbols at different places.

Lack of cleanliness, builder mafia

Whether it is the issue of water shortage or lack of sanitation, the situation in the entire district, let alone NA-254, is worsening day by day as the provincial and local governments have neglected the area and pay no heed to residents’ numerous complaints.

Almost every road in the area is in a dilapidated condition. Heaps of garbage and overflowing gutters can be seen everywhere in the constituency.

Residents blame the MQM for their numerous problems as the party-led District Municipal Corporation Central has failed even to improve the sanitation and cleanliness situation in the areas.

Besides, there is a “builder mafia” which has been in the business of illegally constructing ground-plus-three “portions” after demolishing 120-square-yard residential houses, particularly in Federal B Area, in connivance with corrupt officials of the Sindh Building Control Authority.

The residents said the mafia initially enjoyed the patronage of some members of the MQM and after its downfall it got the backing of not only some members of the PSP, but other political parties also.

In a nutshell, everyone, including police and local administration, is on board in this lucrative business.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2018