KARACHI: Parties contesting the NA-246 by-election continued on Tuesday to approach different political and religious parties as the Jamaat-i-Islami managed to win the support of both factions of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) gained the backing of a group of Sunni clerics representing different organisations.

JUI-F leader Qari Mohammed Usman in a press conference with Jamaat-i-Islami leaders announced his party’s support for Rashid Naseem in the hope of “bringing about a change in the politics of Karachi”.

He said the agreement in Karachi was part of greater understanding between the two parties at the national level.

“We have always supported the policy of harmony and tolerance,” he said. “So it is understandable that if we support the Jamaat-i-Islami it shows that we don’t want any such group or party that preaches violence and hatred. We hope the people of Karachi would differentiate this time between good and bad and come out of their fear to vote.”

Meanwhile, according to a statement issued by the Jamaat-i-Islami, its Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rahman thanked the JUI-F leadership and expressed the hope that the cooperation between the two parties would prove fruitful for the city in the future as well. The JI statement also claimed to have won the support of the JUI-Sami ul Haq for the by-poll.

“Qari Abdul Mannan of the JUI-S has assured the JI that his party workers will support the Jamaat-i-Islami in the by-poll on April-23. It is worth mentioning here that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan-Noorani have already announced their support for the Jamaat-i-Islami in the by-poll,” said the statement.

At the MQM headquarters Nine Zero, a group of Sunni clerics announced their support for the party in the by-poll saying that the policy of Altaf Hussain for sectarian harmony and efforts for development of Karachi deserved applause and appreciation.

A CCTV camera is installed outside the Muniba secondary school (right), one of the 213 polling stations in NA-246, while the central monitoring system is set up inside the building on Tuesday.—Fahim Siddiqi / White Star

“We are not political people,” an MQM statement quoted Mufti Mohammed Shamim Khan of the Ittehad Bain-ul-Muslimeen as saying.

“But we don’t hesitate in saying that the policy and contribution of Altaf Hussain is no secret. Since the election in NA-246 has been announced, an impression has been created that it’s being conquered by a certain political and religious group. But we believe that it’s only the MQM that deserves support from every segment of society for the Karachi mandate.”

The other clerics included Maulana Asad Deobandi of the Pakistan Amn Council, Allama Faiz Rasool Shah Qadri of the Jamaat Ahle Sunnat Pakistan, Allama Mushtaq Gillani of the Jamia Noor-ul-Quran, Maulana Sajjad Hussain Bukhari of the Jamaat Ahle Sunnat Barelvi, Pervaiz Akhtar Sultani of the Darbar Sultani Trust and others.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2015

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