• Activists of rival parties clash in some areas
• JI, PTI accuse ruling PPP of misusing govt machinery
• Saeed Ghani claims victory in five UCs

KARACHI: Marred by low turnout, clashes and scuffles between workers of main contesting parties and allegations of rigging mainly against the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, polling for the local government by-election in 11 union committees of Karachi was held on Sunday with people casting votes to elect their representatives.

The polling began at 8am and continued till 5pm in a largely peaceful manner with sporadic incidents of violence and recriminations of rigging by political parties.

The turnout remained low at the start of the day, with more voters coming out of their homes as the polling neared conclusion. However, the electoral process failed to attract a large number of voters by the end of the official timing of voting. There was no official word about the turnout yet.

There were some complaints of delay in starting of voting at some polling stations, but the timing of casting votes was not extended at any of the facilities.

With total 6,707 policemen at security duty for all 11 UCs, situation turned tense at several polling stations where workers mainly from three contesting parties — PPP, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) — accused each other of rigging and violence.

In Central district’s UC-4 and UC-13 of New Karachi, the situation turned tense at the early hours of the day when workers of both the JI and the PTI gathered outside one of the polling stations and accused the activists of the rival PPP of ‘capturing’ the facility even before start of the voting process.

The tension grew in the day when former MNA of PTI Aslam Khan claimed to have seized a number of ballot papers from ‘PPP workers’ showing votes in favour of the ruling party. The general secretary of the PTI Karachi chapter, Arsalan Taj Ghumman, took to Twitter and shared footage of ‘fake votes’ seized by the former MNA.

Although there was no official word from police, the PTI claimed to have handed over the ‘PPP worker’ to police allegedly involved in rigging.

In Shah Faisal Colony, clashes erupted between workers of two contesting parties after the voting was over leaving at least six people injured.

A JI spokesman claimed that all six injured were party activists, who had been attacked by workers of the rival parties for stopping from ‘post-voting rigging’.

The city chief of JI, Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman, alleged that the PPP used government machinery and police for rigging. In his tweet, he mentioned UCs in Orangi Town, New Karachi and Korangi where the workers of the ruling party were roaming freely defying law and carrying out rigging to change the results in PPP’s favour.

“In eight out of 11 UCs, our party is leading the count, but the PPP is using government machinery and in connivance with the polling staff is changing the results. The ECP and law-enforcement agencies have become silent spectators,” he said while addressing a press conference at Idara Noor-i-Haq after the polling time was over and the vote count was underway.

The ruling PPP, marginally leading the January 15 polls, avoiding allegations against the rival contesting parties focused more on results of the daylong electoral exercise and claimed majority in the by-polls as well.

Sindh Labour Minister and PPP Karachi president Saeed Ghani while sharing unofficial results on Twitter claimed to have won five UCs in Lyari, Korangi and Keamari.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2023