SHAFAQNA PAKISTAN (Shia News Agency)
With everyday by-election in NA-246 Karachi approaching the political temperature between PTI and MQM is boiling. MQM has attacked PTI’s convoy once and also threatened public rallies in Azizabad an area where MQM is the only power. Attacks on PTI’s public rally and convoy have made the situation worst. Even he interior ministry has informed the Sindh government that it is ready to assign the responsibility of security for the coming by-election for Karachi’s National Assembly seat NA-246 to the Rangers. Interior minister had said earlier that every political party, including the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), had the right to hold a rally in Karachi. He asked the ministry to contact the Sindh chief secretary and the inspector general of police to ensure security at PTI’s rallies.
The constituency has a number of heavily populated concentrations of Mohajirs (Urdu-speakers) that first began to settle in these areas from 1953 onwards. Ever since 1988, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has easily won each and every election held in this constituency. In fact, the trend actually began during the 1987 Local Bodies Election in Karachi. In 2013 general election PTI (a relatively new entrant in Karachi’s electoral politics) managed to bag 31, 875 votes. This meant that PTI managed to attract 17 per cent of the votes in a constituency that remains to be the bastion of MQM’s electoral fortunes. The seat had fallen vacant after Nabil Gabol of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) quit the party and resigned from the National Assembly. This election matter for MQM more than PTI, because MQM is facing terror charges and has been in hot waters. Now it is litmus test of MQM’s popularity that whether still people vote for Muhajir ethnic party or reject them due to their volatile activities. However PTI deserves applaud from challenging MQM from its heart.
pakistan.shafaqna.com
