KARACHI: The Jamaat-i-Islami on Sunday demanded that the army be deployed at all polling stations in the city in view of its peculiar circumstances.

The party also announced names of its candidates contesting May 11 general elections on 12 National Assembly and 21 provincial assembly seats from Karachi.

Speaking to newsmen after inaugurating the central election cell of the party, Karachi JI chief Mohammad Hussain Mehnati said that the entire city was held hostage and not only candidates but their voters, polling agents and polling staff needed protection.

He said that the election commission of Pakistan, federal and provincial caretaker governments ought to take notice of torching election offices, tearing the flags and posters and hurling threats to JI candidates.

Mr Mehanti, who is also contesting elections from a National Assembly seat (NA-252), said that the caretaker government was a continuation of the previous government and it failed to take notice of the preparations to rig the polls.

He said if the elections in Karachi were rigged the credibility of the entire election process would be affected and the JI would not accept the results as well as the government to be formed on the basis of the rigged polls.

He told the newsmen that the positive aspect of a 10-party alliance was that in most constituencies the alliance were able to field consensus candidates.

He said that efforts on a few remaining seats would also going on, as there was a complete harmony among all parties to turn Karachi into a cradle of peace and free of extortion.

He said that everyone was aware of the party affiliation of the Sindh governor and therefore it was the JI demand that all those governors having party affiliation be removed for holding free, fair and transparent elections.

He also announced the names of JI candidates from Karachi.

The NA candidates are: Muhammad Laeeq Khan (NA-241), Taj Muhammad (NA-242), Syed Muhammad Iqbal (NA-243), Syed Muhammad Bilal (NA-244), Dr Mairajul Huda (NA-245), Rashid Naseem (NA-246), Naimatullah Khan (NA-250), Zahid Saeed (NA-251), Muhammad Hussain Mehanti (NA-252), Asadullah Bhutto (NA-253), Abdul Jameel Khan (NA-255), Taufiquddin Siddiqui (NA-257).

The candidates on PA seats are : Muhammad Amir Tariq (PS-90), Abdul Razzaq (PS-93), Mukhtar Bin Hamid (PS-94), Taj Muhammad Khan (PS-95), Abdul Majeed Khaskheli (PS-97), Shafiqur Rehman Usmani (PS-99), Muhammad Ahmad (PS-100), Naseem Siddiqui (PS-101), Syed Muhammad Iqbal (PS-102), Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman (PS-103), Syed Wajih Hasan (PS-104), Farooq Naimatullah (PS-105), Fazlur Rehman (PS-108), HM Hanif (PS-111), Nasrullah Shaji (PS-116), Sabir Ahmad (PS-117), Syed Qutub (PS-118), Rashid Mannan (PS-119), Zulfiqar Ali (PS-120), Maharuddin Afzal (PS-125) and Yunus Barai (PS-126).