NA-241 is home to a vast majority of Urdu-speaking migrants from the former East Pakistan, Pakhtoons from the NWFP, Punjabis, Balochs and others.
The main contest here is between the People’s Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, despite the fact that delimitation of the constituency has affected both the parties in one way or the other.
Before NA-185 was fragmented, Salimul Haq of the MQM had won as an independent candidate with 82,310 votes in 1988. Afaq Khan Shahid had bagged 18,545 votes to be ahead of the IJI’s candidate who had secured 8,951 votes.
In 1993 Salimul Haq improved by getting 99,883 votes at the cost of Afaq Shahid who registered 15,563 votes. For the third position the ANP replaced the IJI with 8,762 votes.
In 1993 when the MQM boycotted the NA elections, Afaq Shahid had won with 14,866 votes as compared to the PML’s 10,218 votes. But the balance was again tilted towards the MQM which in 1997 had won with 85,503 votes. The PPP had fielded a little-known candidate who had secured the fourth position.
Sui gas and electricity have been provided to some kutchi abadis, but tap water in many dwellings remain a dream. The distribution system is clogged due to neglect. Hub dam which was mainly built to cater for the needs of Baldia and Orangi, but its supply was extended to New Karachi and SITE area, which has aggravated water shortage for the residents. Water will remain a major election issue besides peace and law and order.
Its shanty dwellings, narrow winding lanes and broken neglected roads, overflowing sewers and almost daily struggle, and sometime scuffle, for a can of potable water in many areas, absence of any degree college for boys and girls, without adequate hospital facilities and uprooted poles, are living testimony to the criminal neglect of the area by successive governments. Such conditions make the human beings living in this constituency vulnerable to diseases due to polluted atmosphere.
Despite being home to talented and hardworking people, it had remained a battleground of rival ethnic warriors, who had entrenched themselves to stall advance of the rivals or the law-enforcement agencies. Hundreds of young and old died in ethnic frenzy and brute use of state power. Many more “migrated” to “safer” places in the city because those who had a upper hand did not tolerate any voice or sign of dissent.
In this constituency a sizable population of migrants from former East Pakistan is residing, but many of them were found to be resentful because they were finding it difficult to obtain passport or the National Identity Card. The grievance of such people is likely to have a bearing on the outcome of the election.
The total number of registered voters in this constituency is 220,000. 85,000 are female voters whereas the number of male registered voters is 135,000.
Ladies votes in the constituency, especially those of Pathan womenfolk, who traditionally are not allowed by their menfolk to vote, would be crucial. Those who can convince them to break from the tradition would succeed. In Metroville area the residents were found to be perturbed over the recent shortage of water.
NA-241 has also two provincial seats: PS-93 and PS-94. PS-93 comprises Mominabad’s sector 4/F, Zia Colony, Mujahid Colony, Bijli Nagar, Islam Nagar, etc.
It also include Metroville Site Pathan Colony, Bawany Challi Khyber Colony, Frontier Colony Nos l to 3, Sector No 4E and Sector No 5. These areas belong to U/C Nos 4,5,6 and 7 of SITE Town.
In PS-94, prominent areas include Bismillah Colony, Fakir Colony, Haryana Colony, Hazarvi Mohalla, etc of U/C 2 Orangi Town. Alfatah Colony, Al Sadaf Colony, Sector Nos 10, 10/L of U/C 3 Orangi Town, Farid Colony, Afridi Colony, Faiz-i-Aam Colony, Urdu Chowk, Sector No 11-E, etc of U/C 4 Orangi Town, Tauheed Colony, Block L, Baba Vilayet Ali Shah, Block J, Salimabad, Iqbal Baloch Colony of Sector 11 1/2 of U/C 5, Orangi Town.
For NA-241 a PPP diehard, Afaq Khan Shahid, who has been in the field since the 1985 party-less elections and had even been arrested for raising the voice of dissent and pleading the case of the locality, has again accepted the challenge and is now contesting from the PP Parliamentarians platform.
His campaign is focused on the principle of live and let live and resolving problems of the area, especially of water, and by striving for more educational and healthcare facilities/hospitals, striving for job opportunities and removing the factors due to which people are being, allegedly, deliberately alienated. Apparently he is edging ahead of his rival in a see-saw of politics.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement, which had swept the elections when the constituency was not divided, has fielded Firozuddin Rahmani in a bid to maintain its hold over the constituency. He is not a resident of the area, but his choice is aimed at neutralizing the votes of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal. But the fragmentation of the old NA-185 has definitely made the task more daunting.
The MQM’s emphasis is on a new constitution and provincial autonomy in accordance with the 1940 resolution. The party has again promised to address the basic needs of the people. Challenge from Laeeq Khan of the MMA to the MQM cannot be discounted.
Shahid Ali of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement and Mirza Shakeel Baig of the Sunni Tehrik are also likely to undermine the MQM’s (Muttahida) bid. In order to offset the impact of new delimitation, the MQM (Muttahida) is said to be soliciting support of the ANP. The MQM (Muttahida) is also banking on its support base.
Abdur Raziq Khan, who became speaker of the provincial assembly after winning on MQM ticket, is also in the run on PML-Q ticket. The PML-N has fielded Wazirzada Afridi, a new entrant in election politics.
PA CONTEST: PS-93 has a heavy population of Pakhtoons and most candidates pitted by the political parties belong to this community, including the PPP’s Shirin Khan, the MMA’s Hameedullah, the ANP’s Bashir Jan, the National Alliance’s Aqil Khan, the PML-Q’s Altaf Husain Shah, the Pakhtoonkhwah Milli Awami Party’s Khurshid Kakajee and the Pakistan Tehrik-i- Insaf’s Bashir Ahmed Khan. Shirin Khan, who is an old hand, seems to have an edge over his rivals here.
PS-94 is again a constituency where the Urdu-speaking people live in large numbers. Here the MQM (Muttahida) has put up Abdul Quddus, a journalist working for a Karachi-based newspaper. He has an edge over Mohammed Ishaq Hijazi of the rival Haqiqi faction, Mohammed Laeeq Khan of the MMA and Wazirzada Afridi of the PML-N and little known Dr Shahida Rahmani of the PPP.