KARACHI/HYDERABAD: Fearing violence and attempts of rigging in the upcoming local bodies’ elections in Karachi and Hyderabad the key contesting parties on Wednesday shared their reservations with state institutions and demanded deployment of Pakistan Army and Rangers at polling stations.

They also questioned the role of Election Commission of Pakistan and accused it of staying silent on the order of deploying police officials from the interior areas of Sindh in Karachi and Hyderabad on the polling day and described the decision as a move from the ruling Pakistan Peoples’ Party to “execute its evil agenda”.

Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf Sindh chapter president Syed Ali Zaidi demanded deployment of paramilitary troops in local bodies’ elections and called for declaring all polling stations ‘sensitive’ in the Hyderabad division.

He also claimed to have sent a letter to Provincial Election Commissioner (PEC) Sindh in this regard.

“The Election Commission is unable to hold elections in a peaceful manner in first phase and conditions in by-poll of NA-240 were before everyone. Only eight per cent turnout of voting was recorded in NA-240. Violence marred that by-election leading to deaths of two people. Now LG elections would be held in nine districts of the Hyderabad division and seven districts of the Karachi division. Fears are high again,” he said.

He accused PPP’s Asif Ali Zardari of trying to bargain over people’s conscience in Lahore. He alleged that after “stealing money from Sindh”, the same was being used in Lahore to buy loyalties of people. He said the Sindh government remained absent during rain devastations and destruction was thrust upon Karachi.

JI rejects private security guards

Rejecting the idea of deploying private security guards, Jamaat-i-Islami Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman in a press at Idara Noor-i-Haq in Karachi called for deployment of Army and Rangers at polling stations under Article 245 of the Constitution.

He also expressed concerns over the attitude of the PPP government in Sindh and said that the private security guards and “politically corrupt recruitments in the Sindh police department” might be used by the PPP to get results of their own choice.

“We demand the Election Commission to rectify the polling lists and appoint impartial returning officers. The Election Commission’s silence over the sheer violation of the code of conduct, including the political administrator, flawed voter lists and development work to show off and lure voters is a matter of serious concern for us,” added Hafiz Naeem.

PSP sees test case for ECP

In his press conference, former Karachi mayor and chairman of Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) Mustafa Kamal said after the Punjab by-polls, the Karachi local bodies’ elections had become a test case for the ECP.

“Now it’s the primary duty of the Election Commission to ensure free and fair elections in Karachi and Hyderabad,” he said.

“But unfortunately the Election Commission is so influenced by the PPP here. How the ECP can treat Sindh and Punjab differently? Here we see the police personnel from rural Sindh have been called for security and everyone knows that the Sindh police are actually a security wing of PPP,” he said.

“I ask the state institutions how long PPP will be given clean chit in the name of reconciliation?”

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2022