According to unofficial results, Pakistan Peoples Party’s candidate Murtaza Wahab has emerged victorious in the elections for the Mayor of Karachi.
However, Jammat-i-Islami has called for protests, accusing electoral rigging. The contest for the Mayor’s seat was between Jammat-i-Islami’s Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman and Pakistan Peoples Party’s Murtaza Wahab, with both sides claiming majority support. However, the PPP candidate succeeded by securing 173 votes for the next four years.
Jammat-i-Islami, whose candidate Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman lost the Karachi mayorship elections, has rejected the results
In a tweet on Thursday evening, Jammat-i-Islami’s Central Ameer Siraj-ul-Haq said, “A nationwide Black Day will be observed against the theft of Karachi mayoral elections. I appeal to every supporter of democracy and constitutionalism to participate.”
Similarly, for the Deputy Mayor’s position, Salman Abdullah Murad of the Pakistan People’s Party and Saif-ur-Rehman of Jammat-i-Islami are in direct competition.
Due to the threat of a coastal storm, Biperjoy, the election , which was scheduled to be held at the Municipal Corporation building was shifted to Karachi Arts Council’s auditorium. The polling started at 10 AM.
After the municipal elections, the City Council comprises 155 members from the Pakistan People’s Party and 130 members from Jamaat-i-Islami. Additionally, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has 62 seats, Pakistan Muslim League (N) has 14 seats, Jamaat-e-Ulema-e-Islam (F) has four seats, and Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan has one seat.
Almost half of the elected representatives of PTI had announced to boycott the electoral process for the position of Mayor of the largest city of the country one day earlier from the election date.
As soon as the unofficial results of the Mayor elections came to surface, clashes broke out between Jamaat-i-Islami and PPP workers outside the Arts Council. Later, the police and Rangers arrived at the scene and separated the workers of both parties.
Expressing discontent with the decision of the Election Commission, Hafiz Naeem, the leader of Jamaat-i-Islami Karachi, criticized the Chief Election Commissioner in a letter, stating, “More than 30 elected members have gone missing. The Election Commission has failed to fulfill its role and has mercilessly murdered the mandate.”
The PTI members refused to vote for JI’s candidate Hafiz Naeem turned the table round and Jamaat-i-Islami lost the elections.
It is also an interesting fact that MQM was witnessed at the back benches during the elections of Karachi’s mayor as it is the allied partner in the central and provincial government with PPP, so it was quite obvious that MQM voted for Wahab.
The Pakistan People’s Party could not remove the label of nepotism from it, even in the elections of Karachi Mayor as the newly elected mayor of Karachi Murtaza Wahab is the son of former federal minister Fauzia Wahab(late) , while the party’s candidate for the Deputy Mayor Salman Abdullah Murad is the son of sitting Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah.
Now Murtaza Wahab is an elected Mayor of Karachi. He is not only the mayor of PPP but the responsibility of the entire city now lies on his shoulders so he should serve the people of the city without any discrimination, keeping all the political differences aside. .
