KARACHI: Addressing supporters at a rally ahead of the highly-anticipated NA-246 by-poll, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said Karachi's plight began deteriorating in 1985, ever since politics in the name of 'muhajirs' began.

Khan said the Urdu-speaking community progressed rapidly after migrating to Pakistan; "top bureaucrats, intellectuals, soldiers, and politicians have hailed from the muhajir community," he said.

The PTI chief urged people from all communities to come out on polling day and vote for PTI's Imran Ismail. "I urge the Memons, Ismailis and Urdu-speaking people to step up and support us."

Khan said there was a time when no political movement could kick off without engaging Karachi but politics of ethnicity and violence had halted progress in the city of lights. He said his dream of a 'Naya Pakistan' cannot materialise unless a "new Karachi" emerges.

Referring to Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain, Khan said, “Tell me an instance from anywhere else in the world, where a leader of a political party in the government has been residing abroad for over two decades.”

"I was listening to Altaf Hussain's speech last night; sometimes he starts singing, sometimes he starts crying, sometimes he starts laughing ... I wonder how Karachi's populace, which includes Pakistan's most educated and dynamic individuals, can bear listening to these speeches," said Imran Khan.

Criticising Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan asked the crowd: "Nawaz Sharif has been prime minister on three occasions... but how many times has he visited Karachi?"

Thousands of PTI supporters spent the better part of Sunday marching to the venue near Ayesha Manzil in Federal B Area, where the rival MQM enjoys strong support.

Earlier, preparations were finalised as PTI hosts its first major rally on Sunday since it started a voracious campaign for the coveted NA-246 seat in the upcoming by-election.

PTI expected a mega audience for the rally, which was held at Karachi's Shahrah-e-Pakistan. The decision to hold the rally at the famous Jinnah ground in Azizabad was earlier cancelled by PTI owing to "administrative issues".

Also read: Battle NA-246: PTI decides not to hold rally at Jinnah ground

PTI chief Imran Khan, who visited Karachi a few days earlier, had hinted that their public meeting could not be held in the Jinnah Ground as he felt it was not large enough to accommodate “hundreds of thousands of PTI supporters”.

The rally is expected to commence early in the evening, reportedly to avoid the daytime's sweltering heat.

Shahrah-e-Pakistan — the road leading to Water Pump from Liaquatabad Number 10 — has been sealed for traffic by authorities who have placed shipping containers as effective blockades.

PTI workers and organisers are sparing no effort in ensuring their rally is a success. Special attention has been paid to the arrangement of some 30,000 chairs, which are to follow a certain scheme of design and colours.

As is customary for rallies held by PTI, high-quality sound systems and musical arrangements have all been taken care of by DJ Butt — PTI's veteran music guru.

Take a look: Dance with DJ Butt

Many roads leading to the venue have been blocked as security personnel stand guard to prevent any mishap.

PTI Chief Imran Khan has expressed hope that today's rally will be "splendid" and Karachiites will "enjoy" today's gathering.

PTI's contender for the NA-246 constituency Imran Ismail is optimistic today's rally will be "record-breaking" but did not appear too happy with the city administration with regards to their cooperation for the rally's arrangement.

Ismail complained that the venue, which was to be handed over to PTI workers at 12 midnight was not handed over until 4 in the morning.

He also complained that while 50,000 chairs had been ordered to seat the large audience, only 25,000 were provided to PTI.

The Majlis-i-Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) announced prior to the PTI's rally that it will support PTI in the by-election of April 23.

Making a mark through today's rally won't come easy for PTI for the bar was set high when Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) hosted thousands in a rally in the same neighbourhood just a day earlier.

MQM's rally had equal doses of theatrics and politics, with party chief Altaf Hussain making sure no audience member left the venue without being thoroughly entertained.

Meanwhile, the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) also made every effort to exhibit its political strength. It organised a women’s rally on Shahrah-i-Pakistan on Friday to lay to rest the speculation about the party’s understanding with the PTI for the April 23 voting that was hinted at by Imran Khan and his aides on several occasions.

Read: Workers of MQM, JI clash in Karachi

The by-polls in NA-246, scheduled to be held on April 23, are expected to be a three-way contest between Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's Imran Ismail, MQM's Kanwar Naveed Jamil and Jamaat-i-Islami's (JI's) Rashid Naseem.

The NA-246 constituency of Karachi houses a number of heavily populated concentrations of Urdu-speakers (also known as Mohajirs) that first began to settle in these areas from 1953.

Most of these concentrated clusters belong to the middle and lower-middle classes of the city, and the literacy rate in this constituency is also one of the highest in Karachi.