RAWALPINDI: Opposition parties including the PPP, PTI and Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s Awami Muslim League (AML) have joined hands for the elections on reserved seats in the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC).

Together the three parties hold six seats in the house of 46 members and are now aiming to secure at least two of the women’s seats so their strength increases from six to eight seats in the house.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced the schedule for the polling for reserved seats which are to be held on September 1. The elections will be held on 10 women’s seats and two each for technocrats, peasants, minorities and a youth seat and a total of 52 candidates are contesting for these.

These include 22 women from the ruling PML-N, two from PPP and a PTI candidate.

PPP, PTI and AML are yet to field candidates for other reserved seats

The PPP has won in three union councils and its chairmen elected as RMC members include Babar Jadoon, Raja Shaukat Mehmood aka Papu and Anjum Farooq Paracha.

The PTI won in two union councils and its chairmen elected as RMC members include Javed Iqbal Satti and Mumtaz Khan. AML won in one union council and Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s nephew, Sheikh Rashid Shafique became member of the RMC.

“The opposition parties have joined forces for the elections on women’s seats because of the limited number of seats, however, they are yet to bring forward their candidates for the seats reserved for technocrats, minorities, youth and labour,” a senior PPP leader told Dawn.

He said the PPP aimed to secure at least two of the women’s seats so that it can give the ruling PML-N a tough time in the RMC and that the AML and PTI had agreed to lend the PPP their support in this matter.

“We will also contest the elections for Rawalpindi mayor so that the ruling party does not get to elect an unopposed mayor,” a PPP union council chairman, Raja Shahid Mehmood told Dawn.

He said the opposition leader in the RMC will be elected from the PPP as it had bagged three seats and the other opposition parties had the same number of seats between them.

“Being the larger of the opposition parties, the leader of the opposition will be from the PPP,” he said.

Mr Mehmood added that an old PPP worker who had contested the elections as an independent candidate, Mohammad Aurangzeb, will also be lending support to the PPP in the elections on seats reserved for women.

The opposition parties had assured the PPP of their support in matters regarding the city and had also agreed to give the ruling party a tough time in running the affairs of the city, he added.

PTI MPA Arif Abbasi also told Dawn that his party and AML had decided to join hands with the PPP during the elections. He said the PTI had won two union council seats and needed support from other parties to secure reserved seats.

“A PTI worker is contesting the elections but her chances of winning are slim as electing a candidate on a women’s seat in the RMC requires five votes,” he explained, adding that the ruling party had tried to divide the opposition even though they have absolute majority in the RMC.

Talking to Dawn, former Rawal Town Nazim, Sheikh Rashid Shafique of the AML said the party will support the PTI in securing reserved seats and that a lot could still change in the coming few days.

“The PML-N is divided in two groups and some of the ruling party’s council chairmen might vote for our candidates in the secret balloting and all three of the opposition’s candidates may get elected,” he said.

He said the AML had decided to join forces with the opposition parties in order to raise a voice against corruption by local leaders during the last eight years.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2016