KARACHI, Sept 27: Nazims and naib nazims of 11 union councils of the Lyari Town on Tuesday announced their support for Awam Dost candidates Malik Mohammad Khan and Abdullah Rahim Baloch for the posts of nazim and naib nazims of the Lyari Town.

They endorsed the nominations of Naimatullah Khan and Saeed Ghani by the Tameer-i-Karachi Ittehad (TKI) for the posts of city nazim and naib nazim, respectively, and pledged that their votes, including of councillors, would go in their favour.

These views were expressed at a press conference held at the press club, where the president of the Karachi chapter of the Pakistan People’s Party, Mian Rashid Rabbani, dispelled the impression of a rift among party leaders on the candidature of the nazim for the Lyari Town.

Introducing the UC nazims and naib nazims to reporters, he said that the reported differences over the nomination were nothing but rumours and wishful thinking.

Out of 11 UCs in the Lyari Town, eight were bagged by Awam Dost panel and the three by Al-Khidmat group, he said, adding that all were united to support the candidates of the TKI for the city and Lyari Town nazim.

Mr Rabbani criticized the Election Commission for its failure to hold free and fair elections in the first and second phase of the local body polls.

He said that despite complaints about involvement of the chief minister, the use of state machinery to get desired results remained rampant. “Either there is a pressure on the chief election commissioner or lack of courage that he failed to take notice of the complaints or kept terming the polls transparent and fair,” he said.

The PPP leader alleged that as the third phase’s polling date was getting closer the state machinery had again been activated to harass nazims, naib nazims and councillors of the UCs. “TPOs, DSPs and SHOs are being used to haul up opposition councillors and take them to the chief minister and home minister where they are asked either support the government-backed candidates or face cases.”

Mr Rabbani said that Amjad Ali of the Awam Dost panel in Shah Faisal Town UC was kidnapped and to the day had not returned.

MMA MNA Mohammad Hussain Mehanti said that all major parties had joined hands together to ensure election of true representatives of people to pursue the agenda of development.

PPP MNA Nabil Gabol, Rafique Engineer and Malik Mohammad Khan, candidate for the nazim’s post of Lyari Town also spoke.