KARACHI: Although the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf got second highest number of votes in the 2013 general elections against rival Muttahida Qaumi Movement in NA-245 (North Nazimabad) — which after delimitation has become NA-256, Central IV — the resurrection of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and emergence of the Pak Sarzameen Party has made the electoral fight tough on the last National Assembly seat of the metropolis.

Since 1988, the MQM had won the North Nazimabad NA seat — NA-186 which became NA-245 following the 2002 delimitation — in all general elections except 1993 when the party boycotted the polls.

In 2002, MQM’s Kanwar Khalid Yunus won the seat by securing 51,696 votes against MMA’s Syed Munawwar Hassan who got 41,947 votes. The MMA did not take part in the 2008 and 2013 elections. The Jamaat-i-Islami had boycotted the 2008 elections.

In 2013, JI candidate Dr Mairajul Huda Siddiqui got 22,452 votes. But the number of votes the PTI got surprised many as its relatively unknown candidate, Mohammad Riaz Haider, bagged 54,937 votes without even running an effective election campaign against MQM’s Rehan Hashmi who won the seat by securing 115,776 votes.

JI has a sizeable vote bank in the urban areas of the constituency

After the latest delimitation, the constituency has become NA-256 and it consists of parts of North Karachi and New Karachi, Shadman Town, Buffer Zone, KBR Society, majority of North Nazimabad’s blocks including Paharganj, Usman Ghani Colony, a few parts of Nazimabad and Paposh Nagar.

The constituency is home to a majority of Urdu-speaking people as well as Pakhtuns, Punjabis, Seraikis, Bohra community, Ismaili community, etc.

16 in the run

A total of 16 candidates, including seven independents, are in the run for NA-256 constituency. Prominent among them are Dr Mairajul Huda Siddiqui (MMA), Najib Haroon (PTI), actor Sajid Hasan (PPP-Parliamentarians), Mohammad Adil Siddiqui (PSP), Amir Chishti (MQM-P), Sofia Yaqoob (Awami National Party), Dost Mohammad Faizi (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz) and Mohammad Ali Qadri of the Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan.

It would have been a one-side contest had the MQM been unified and under the leadership of its founder Altaf Hussain.

However, internal squabbles and the emergence of the Mustafa Kamal-led PSP have made the chances of both the MQM-P and PSP dim as the Mohajir vote bank might be divided between the two parties. The boycott call given by Mr Hussain would also affect the two parties.

Unlike the 2013 polls, it appears that the PTI has lost its appeal especially amongst Urdu-speaking people who voted for it in the 2013 general elections. The party had contested the 2015 local government elections but failed to make any impact as 50 of the 51 union committees of the Central district were won by the MQM. The remaining lone UC was won by the PPP.

But for Dr Siddiqui of the MMA, this election is a chance to prove that the religious alliance is still a force to be reckoned with. The JI has a sizeable vote bank in the urban areas of the constituency and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl — a component of the MMA — also enjoyed good support from the people living in shanty towns of the constituency.

While the main contest is expected among the MQM-P, PTI and MMA, some believe that the PSP is also in a position to give surprise results since many amongst the MQM cadre had joined former Karachi mayor Kamal.

Major parties field ‘outsiders’

The candidates of the PTI, MQM-P, MMA, PPPP and PML-N are not living in any area of the NA-256 constituency.

Mr Haroon of the PTI, Sajid Hasan of PPPP and Mr Faizi of the PML-N are living in Defence Housing Authority. MQM-P’s Amir Chishti and MMA’s Dr Siddiqui are residents of Gulshan-i-Iqbal.

The candidate of MQM-P was a brother of slain party leader Khalid bin Waleed.

MMA’s Dr Siddiqui is a seasoned politician and the provincial chief of the JI.

Unlike candidates of major parties, the PSP candidate is a registered voter of the constituency and lives in North Nazimabad.

PML-N’s Faizi had won the 1993 elections from old NA-186 constituency because of the MQM’s poll boycott.

Ruined infrastructure, water shortage, street crimes

Like other parts of the city, residents of NA-256 are also facing acute water shortage and lack of cleanliness.

North Nazimabad was once regarded as one of the most developed and clean areas of Karachi but not anymore. Not only main roads, but service lanes and streets all are in a dilapidated condition and successive government paid no attention towards their rehabilitation.

The delay in completion of the Green Line bus rapid transit project also causes immense hardship for residents.

Increasing street crimes have become a serious problem for the residents. Most incidents of street crimes occurred during night on the road leading to Five Star traffic intersection from Sakhi Hasan that houses dozens of marriage halls/banquets along both tracks.

Also, the construction of high-rises and bifurcation and trifurcation of 400-square-yard or above residential plots into smaller houses in North Nazimabad has brought the municipal infrastructure, including sewerage system, near collapse.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2018