KARACHI: The Pakistan Peoples Party on Saturday seemed prepared to receive some ‘bad news’ from its stronghold, Lyari, despite hoping to grab the most number of seats from Karachi’s South and Malir to rule the two district municipal corporations.

The party blamed threat from gangsters in Lyari for the voting disparity in South district. “We may win seven or eight out of 15 union committees from Lyari,” said a senior PPP leader, though he insisted that it did not show his party had lost its mass appeal in the area.

“People still love the PPP as much as they have over the the past 45 years, but they are afraid of the gangsters who have threatened them of dire consequences if they voted for the party again,” he said, while backing up his claim with the fact that the PPP could not find candidates on three union committees of Lyari.

“Look, a few years back we had queues of workers to win PPP candidature, but this time we had no aspirants for some areas, indicating how much people are frightened of the gangs,” said another PPP leader who saluted those who were still contesting the elections and ‘are winning’.

Unlike in past elections, fewer PPP flags and banners were seen in several areas of Lyari including Nauabad, Shah Waliullah Road, Lokomal Chelaram Road, Daryabad, Liaquat Colony and Baghdadi. The party’s famous song, which would traditionally blare across the thickly populated area, was not heard. In line with the party practice in the past two phases of LG polls, it refrained from featuring the party co-chairman’s portraits alongside the Bhuttos.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) stayed away from the elections in Lyari, but the presence of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) was foremost and visible — another first in Lyari elections. Not a single union committee was seen where the PPP was allowed easy pickings.

Syed Najmi Alam, Karachi PPP president and candidate for chairman’s post on UC-30, Clifton, was confident that the party would rule the district municipal corporations of South and Malir by grabbing at least 45 out of the total 209 union committees in Karachi.

“This [45] is a conservative figure for us, our performance will be way better than what we did in the 2013 general elections,” Mr Alam said while speaking to Dawn.

The party’s presence was prominent in many parts of Karachi South. Saddar’s Ghanchi Para, Gazdarabad and Kharadar looked as if they stuck to their past commitment. Similarly, the party cadres were hugely motivated in Malir where its leadership hoped to grab at least eight out of 13 union committees. The PPP fielded its candidates on 188 union committees, of which it contested on just 156 UCs with its symbol (arrow) while on the other 32 UCs the panel was headed by the ANP, JUI-F or the PML-N.

The PPP also appeared poised to do well Karachi’s Korangi district.

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2015