The Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) launched a blistering broadside at the PPP on Sunday ahead of the upcoming Karachi mayor elections, accusing it of attempting to steal the city’s mandate.

The mayoral elections are scheduled to be held on June 15 (Thursday). JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman and PPP’s Murtaza Wahab are top contenders for the office of Karachi mayor.

Rehman and his party have been accusing the PPP of not only rigging the local government elections but also the upcoming mayoral poll.

In a party rally in Karachi today, Rehman doubled down on his allegations and claimed the PPP had taken over seats belonging to his party as well as the PTI. He questioned why the PPP was claiming it would win the mayoral contest when it had overall fewer seats than the JI and its allies.

“What calculation is this? What science is this? What kind of election is this? What kind of election commission is this? Who are these people who are imposed over us? They are thieves of the mandate … and a mafia that controls Karachi.”

Rehman said any attempt to “take over” Karachi’s mandate would haunt the PPP and its leadership, adding that the stain would never be removed from the party.

The mayoral candidate likened the alleged attempt to steal the city’s mandate to the refusal of East Pakistan’s electoral mandate in 1970.

“They divided the country but did not accept the mandate. This is your history,” he said.

“Today you are doing the same. You are abducting people. You were getting people picked up yesterday as well. You cannot win or be successful so you adopt fascism … they have learned nothing.”

Rehman called on civil society to stand with the city and its mandate.

JI emir Sirajul Haq asserted that Rehman would be Karachi’s mayor, while also accusing the PPP of rigging the local government elections and mayoral contest.

“I have come to send a message to the PPP and Sindh to listen to the people’s voice and accept Karachi’s mandate.”

Mayoral contest

The PPP has emerged as the single largest party in the 367-strong City Council of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation.

The City Council is comprised of a total of 367 members, including 246 directly elected chairmen of union committees and 121 reserved seats which were allocated to parties on the basis of the number of union councils (UC) they won in the Jan 15 local government elections.

As the result of one UC has been withheld, the house now consists of 366 members and any party having support of 184 members can win the June 15 election for Karachi mayor and deputy mayor.

According to officials, the PPP has emerged as the single largest party in the City Council with a total of 155 seats, including 34 seats reserved for women, five each for minorities, labourers and youth, one for persons with disabilities and one for transgender persons.

The JI is the second largest party with a total of 130 seats, including 29 women, four each reserved for labourers, minorities and youth and one each for persons with disabilities and transgender persons.

The PTI got a total of 63 seats including 14 women, two each seats reserved for labourers, minorities and youth and one each reserved for persons with disabilities and transgender persons.

Meanwhile, the PML-N got a total of 16 seats, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) got four seats and Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) secured one seat that it won in the Jan 15 local government election.

The PPP already got support from PML-N and JUI-F and it got support from a total of 175 members in the City Council.

The JI and PTI also forged an electoral alliance for Karachi mayor and their accumulated number in the City Council is 193.

While the numbers game is clearly in the JI’s favour after it got support from the PTI for the election of Karachi mayor, the PPP has insisted that after May 9 violence, many UC chairmen belonging to the PTI got in touch with them and made clear that they would not vote for the JI candidate.

Fearing horse-trading by the PPP, the JI also moved the Sindh High Court demanding that its all members, especially those belonging to the PTI, be allowed to cast their votes in a free, fair and transparent manner.