KARACHI: As uncertainties loom over the results of Karachi’s local bodies polls, Jamaat-i-Islami on Saturday held a meeting with the PTI to form an alliance for the appointment of mayor.

A JI delegation, led by the party’s city chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman met the PTI’s provincial leadership, hinting at forming an alliance.

However, the PTI refrained from offering any clear assurance to unconditionally support Mr Rehman, who was JI’s mayoral candidate.

After the meeting, the JI leader, along with PTI Sindh President Ali Zaidi, told the media that his party has presented a proposal of appointing Karachi’s mayor unanimously, adding his party was in a position to appoint the mayor.

Naeemur Rehman says mandate of winner should be protected; Ali Zaidi vows joint struggle against ‘rigging’

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has emerged as the single largest party in Karachi with 96 seats after Sunday’s polls. The JI was the runner-up with 83 seats and the PTI won 43 seats.

Since a mayor needs the votes of half of the 367-member City Council, one could be appointed if any of the two parties form an alliance.

Mr Rehman said all political parties were responsible to protect the mandate of whoever had won. “The JI wants to achieve a consensus for the city’s development.”

The PTI provincial chief said the JI and the PTI had decided to raise their voices in a constitutional, legal and democratic way to protect their respective mandate.

He said both parties agreed to form a four-member committee over the issue.

The committees will exchange Form-11 in which the candidates of the two parties were declared winners.

Mr Zaidi said the Form-11 is signed by the ECP’s presiding officers, and if results are tampered with after issuing the Form-11, they will not accept those results and raise voices against it.

The JI leader said despite all differences, his party was ready to work with every party in the city for its betterment.

He recalled the two parties formed an alliance in the 2015 local bodies polls, adding that the JI had a working relationship with the PTI.

Mr Zaidi said the two parties maintained contact with each other before and after the polls.

The JI and PTI leaders also criticised the provincial government for delaying the release of election results and said it was being done to deprive their candidates of victory.

Mr Rehman added his party had started sending applications and complaints to the Election Commission regarding the mismanagement in the elections.

He accused the PPP of “massive rigging” on 15 seats which he claimed the JI had won.

“We will work together with the PTI to put up a legal fight for the stolen seats,” he said.

He also demanded the withdrawal of the terrorism cases lodged against the JI and PTI workers for protesting over the rigging.

In a tweet, PTI MPA from Karachi, Arsalan Taj Ghumman said his party had identified rigging in 40 UC after which the party’s tally of seats will increase.

He said the party has urged the JI to jointly struggle against the alleged rigging.

Earlier on Thursday, the PPP also offered the JI to form an alliance for the mayoral election.

The PPP move had come after JI Emir Sirajul Haq sought intervention by former president and PPP supremo Asif Ali Zardari to stop the “use of provincial administration to manipulate the results and change original vote count”.

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2023