KARACHI: Opposition making seat adjustments at local levels
KARACHI, July 24: Opposition parties have geared up their efforts for seat adjustment among their respective groups contesting the local bodies election scheduled for August 18.
Instead of forming a city-based electoral alliance, they are concentrating on area-based seat adjustments to ensure success on a maximum number of seats.
Though having different programmes and manifestos, the parties have been showing a sign of having unity among themselves.
The ARD, one of the major opposition alliances in the province, has already announced that it would confine seat adjustments only with its component parties and the other opposition parties.
On its part, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), has made public its strategy regarding the local bodies polls, as spelled out by the General Secretary of the party’s Sindh chapter, Nafees Siddiqui.
He told PPI that the PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto had decentralized the policy of seat adjustments to authorize the district-level leadership in this regard.
He explained that the party’s first priority was the groups backed by ARD component parties with other opposition parties coming next, keeping in view the local situation viz-a-viz the seat concerned.
He ruled out any possibility of seat adjustment with a component of the ruling coalition in any part of the province. He, however, hinted at such an understanding with some particular pro-government parties, like PML-F, only if inevitable and strongly recommended by the district leadership.
In-charge of the election cell of Awam Dost Panel, backed by the PPP, Lal Bux Bhutto, said that in the formerly West district in Karachi, the PPP had seat adjustment with the ‘Watan Parast group’, backed by PML-N.
He said that in the formerly Central and East districts, talks with JI-backed Al-Khidmat group, JUP-backed Al-Khadim group and JUI-backed Insaan Dost group were under way, whereas in Malir, seat adjustment would be made only with Insaan Dost group in a few constituencies.
Former City Nazim Niamatullah Khan of the Al-Khidmat group said that his group, and three other groups — Al-Khadim, Awam Dost and Insaan Dost — had formed an alliance named ‘Shehri Ittehad’ in the formerly Central district, adding that seat adjustments in this district had already been finalized.
“In other areas of the city, we are going to make seat adjustments with the opposition-sponsored groups. No seat adjustment with the ruling parties-backed groups in the city had been made,” he added.
When contacted, JI city chief Dr Merajul Huda Siddiqui declared: “We would make seat adjustments with any group except the Haq Parast.”
JUI leader Qari Mohammad Usman said that the Insaan Dost group backed by his party would prefer seat adjustment with the MMA-backed groups.
He said that Insaan Dost and Al-Khidmat groups had made seat adjustments in seven UCs of Baldia Town and according to the agreed upon formula, they would field joint candidates in three UCs each, while the fourth one would be open.
“In the central district, we are contesting under the banner of the Shehri Ittehad’ while in the East and Malir districts, we have made seat adjustment with Al-Khidmat group,” he stated. He stated that in the Site Town, Insaan Dost group would be contesting under a seat adjustment pact with Awam Dost group.
Qari Usman said that in a few UCs in the city, the Insaan Dost had reached understanding with the group backed by the ruling PML. He, however, ruled out possibility of joining hands with the MQM-backed Haq Parast group in any UC of the city.—PPI
