KARACHI: The by-elections on 10 vacant local government seats were held in the provincial capital amid a low turnout and allegations of rigging by the opposition parties against the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party on Thursday.

The by-polls, which started at 8am and continued till 5pm in six districts of the city, were held largely in a peaceful manner amid reports of sporadic incidents of scuffles between workers and supporters of ruling and opposition parties.

There were 68 candidates in the run for four vacant seats of union committee chairman, two vice-chairmen and four for general member.

The aspirants mainly belonged to the ruling PPP and opposition Jamaat-i-Islami and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf while the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan has stayed away from the by-elections as it did last year in the LG elections held in Sindh.

The by-elections in the city were held on 10 seats that include the chairman of UC-9 Malir Town, general member ward 4 UC-7 Ibrahim Hyderi Town, general member ward-1 of UC-7 Korangi Town, chairman of UC-7 Model Colony Town, vice chairman of UC-6 Landhi Town, vice-chairman of UC-5 Yaseenabad Gulberg Town, chairman UC-7 Liaquatabad Town, chairman of UC-13 Saddar, general member ward-4 UC-10 Baldia Town and general member ward-4 UC-5 Manghopir Town.

Similarly, the by-elections in a ward of the Cantonment Board Korangi Creek were also held on Thursday for ward councillor and as per unofficial results PPP’s Sameer won the election against PTI-backed Danish Abbasi.

The JI and PTI have raised allegations of rigging against the PPP’s aspirants and their supporters while the JI’s local leaders and workers have also staged protests outside the offices of district returning officers against alleged rigging by the ruling party.

As per the media reports, the turnout remained very low at the start of the day as polling stations largely wore a deserted look.

Tension gripped the Gizri area (UC-13 Saddar, Clifton) where workers and supporters of the PPP and the PTI came face to face and scuffles broke out amid sloganeering by the respective party supporters when Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab was speaking to the media after casting his vote at a Gizri school polling station.

JI rejects “fake” results

The Jamaat-i-Islami said that it would not accept “fake” results and would resort to agitation as well as legal options.

The JI city chief, Monem Zafar, was of the view that the party would not tolerate another ambush on the mandate of Karachiites and alleged that the PPP continued its legacy of electoral terrorism and used all unfair means to convert its defeat into a victory.

Published in Dawn, November 15th, 2024