KARACHI: Although 13 aspirants are contesting the NA-237 constituency in Karachi’s Malir district, analysts see a smooth sailing for Pakistan Peoples Party candidate Abdul Hakeem Baloch on the day of polling.

In 2013, Mr Baloch was returned to the National Assembly from NA-258 constituency on a ticket of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. Three years later, he quit the PML-N, resigned from his seat and contested and won the by-election from the platform of the PPP.

The new NA-237 constituency is comprised of areas in rural Malir, which were earlier part of old NA-256 and NA-257 constituencies.

Although the Muttahida Qaumi Movement had won NA-256 and NA-257, this time around the PPP has good prospects of winning the seat since most voters live in the rural areas of the two old seats.

With 283,882 registered voters, the constituency spread over large part of Malir district which on one hand touches residential blocks of Gulistan-i-Jauhar and on the other caters to goths in Landhi and rural Malir.

A few prominent areas of the constituency included Architect & Engineering Society, Bakhtawar Goth, Bhitaiabad, Elahi Bux Goth, a few blocks of Shah Faisal Colony, Tariq Bin Ziad Society, PIA Colony, Civil Aviation Colony, old and new airport areas, Malir Cantt, blocks adjacent to Safari Park, Murad Memon sub-division, Haji Sheedi Goth and others.

A total of 13 candidates are in the run including Dr Nadeem Maqbool of the MQM-Pakistan, Zain-ul-Abideen Ansari of PML-N, Afaq Jamal of Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP), Jameel Khan of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Muhammad Islam of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA).

Analysts believed that the PPP enjoyed a strong support in goths of the area and the reputation Mr Baloch had earned being the MNA in the last tenure had also improved his prospects.

Residents of this constituency recognise Mr Baloch’s contribution that included development of roads and arrangements of water supply for several goths in Malir while establishing basic health units in the low-income neighbourhoods through the funding of the federal government.

However, a majority of the areas in the constituency still face the decades-old problems, which are yet to be solved.

Also, a lack of proper and well-equipped hospitals, any reputeble educational institution, gas and electricity supply and poor infrastructure leave a question mark on the performance of the PPP government, which ruled the province for a full decade but failed to serve its voters in its strongholds.

Apart from poor infrastructure, poor condition of roads, declining health and education facilities and unavailability of water, known pockets of drug peddling and illegal business activities remain key problem for the residents of the sprawling constituency.

They blame the past government and their representatives for not only ignoring their problem but sometimes they had supported the criminal elements to strengthen its foothold.

The prospects of provincial assembly seats under the constituency —– PS-87 and PS-88 — are also in the favour the PPP.

The PS-87 seat covers 80 per cent of NA-236 which is the largest constituency of provincial assembly in terms of area replacing the PS-129 and PS-130 of past three elections.

Similarly, the authorities have also failed to stop the illegal lifting of sand and gravel in the constituency that had badly altered the landscape of Malir district.

The PPP is said to be favourite for the PS-88 constituency. However, an interesting contest could be expected in PS-89, which was carved out of the old PS-126, PS-127 and PS-128 constituencies which mainly caters to Urdu-spea­king vote and consist of mostly urban Malir areas.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2018