How much can it affect the elections in the city?

Pashtun votes in Karachi have been influenced by political trends and tendencies at the national level. They have never acted as a homogenous ethnic group at the electoral front, nor has their number in the city been materialised into support for the Pashtun nationalist party ANP. Pashtun localities are known for their diverse political support base, as one can see flags, graffiti and offices of almost all the political and religious parties there, busy in their activities.

Even on the constituencies with higher number of Pashtun votes, they normally go with other ethnic groups like Punjabis, Hindko speakers and the Balochs, to vote for Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) or various factions of Muslim League, who have managed to win in some cases or lost it to the MQM due to a split in votes among contestants. In any case, PPP and PML-N still have higher number of votes than the ANP or religio-political parties, like Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) or Jamat Islami (JI).

During ethnic riots in the late eighties, the ANP refrained from degenerating to the politics of ethnic rifts and attempted to ease the tensions by joining hands with the MQM while the situation was exploited by a new pressure group, Punjabi Pashtun Ittehad (PPI), riding the anti-MQM sentiments among Punjabis, Pashtuns and Hindko speakers. Factions of PPI later merged with the PPP and PML-N.

During the nineties, when Nawaz Sharif emerged as a formidable rival to the PPP leadership after his ’93 stint with President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, his candidate Mian Ejaz Shafi surprised everyone with a win from a constituency previously won by PPP. It happened once again in 1997, when the infamous Nasirullah Babar contested on PPP ticket from the same consitutency and was defeated by Mian Ejaz Shafi on PML-N ticket.

In 2000, when former Army Chief and President Pervez Musharraf introduced local government system, and MQM had boycotted the first elections, Jamat-e-Islami won most of the Town Nazim slots and city Mayorship, still Baldia and SITE Towns were won on by the ANP.

In 2002 general elections, protests and demonstrations against the US led war on terror and internal requirements of the military government led to the alliance of religio-political parties Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA). The tremendous hype around the first ever broad based and exclusively religious alliance charged the political environment. The absence of leaderships of mainstream political parties and a lot of maneuvering on the part of the military government led to MMA’s rule in two provinces as well as victories in a few constituencies from Karachi.

The situation was alarming for the ANP, which had failed to sustain the electoral gains of the first local bodies elections in the second term due to MQM’s presence and a split in vote with the JUI-F and JI. Perturbed at ceding the electoral space to religious parties, the ANP supported Abid Ali Umang, a candidate of MQM running for NA-240, in the by-elections against MMA’s candidate Qari Usman.

When the ANP Sindh’s leadership was taken over by Shahi Syed, he employed a proactive strategy of addressing the political and economic woes of the Pashtun populace, the issues faced by the people in the transport business, mediating in disputes of land and properties illegally acquired and building the party around his own personality cult, trying to replicate what the MQM had done in the last three decades.

All of a sudden, billboards and hoardings of ANP slogans appeared at major crosses and corners of Pashtun localities with the portraits of Shahi Syed and local party officials at the forefront while pictures of Ghaffar Khan, Wali Khan and Asfandyar Khan in the background.

Shahi Syed consolidated his grip with the wave of sympathy in the aftermath of the tragic events of May 12 and chose to ride the anti-MQM sentiments among the Pashtuns. He started using harsh words against the MQM and empowered lower cadres of the party to cope with the issues rising from the thana-kachehri culture. He also successfully negotiated with JUI and PPP for seat adjustments and got two comparatively secure provincial constituencies of PS-93 and PS-128 for those with tough competition with the MQM. The strategy has worked out, and Shahi Syed’s party has managed to win two provincial constituencies, with Syed becoming a Senator himself.

But the success came with its share of drawbacks. The ethnic tensions have consumed thousands of innocent lives and hundreds of political workers. Lower cadres of ANP have employed almost all the tactics familiar in Karachi politics. Performance of their parliamentarians is below the expectations; it can be gauged with the ANP’s decision of not giving ticket to the ex-Nazim SITE Town and ex-Minister for Labour Ameer Nawab from PS-93 for the second time. The threats of Taliban attacks is a major hurdle for the ANP and PPP in campaigning for the elections, while keeping the impact of Pashtun votes in mind, all the major parties PPP, PML-N, JUI-F, JI and even the MQM have decided to field Pashtun candidates from many constituencies.

In the last decade, the demography of the city has been changed with migrations from the areas affected by October 2005 earthquake, influx of IDPs from Pashtun regions and migrations from the same areas for economic opportunitie. Pashtuns have become the second largest ethnic group in Karachi. As per Arif Hasan, their number has increased from 16 percent to nearly 25 percent. These changing numbers will have their impact on the electoral process as well.

With the tribal basis of Pashtun populace on one hands and diverse political affiliations on the other, it seems their influence at the ballot boxes will be diluted due to a split of votes among various political parties running for the same constituencies. This could benefit MQM for their unified support base, provided they make smart choices in fielding suitable candidates for these localities.

Ali Arqam is a journalist and researcher based in Karachi. He can be contacted at aliarqam@hotmail.com, and interacted on Twitter at @aliarqam

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/columns/

April 18, 2013


While a stream of investigation reports, and revelations depicting Karachi’s real picture, earlier hushed up by the previous setup are now being uncovered, factors fuelling violence are becoming more evident. As Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry told the police officers during the Karachi law and order proceedings that heads will roll, the stern tenor had the intended effect. It made some of the officers – otherwise tight-lipped – open up. The revelations were incredible though lacking the element of surprise.
Since already extraordinarily wracked by crime and turmoil, it, however, didn’t come much of a shock to hear that there are seven forbidden areas in Karachi. The only difference was that in earlier proceedings, the police was reluctant to own up to the reality. One of the SHOs related how political parties were backing up dacoits inside these areas. Another officer had the court’s attention with his jaw-dropping finding that 30 percent of the city was plagued with crime. These revelations were received by Justice Chaudhry with the right response. His remarks that if senior police officials wanted they could clean up these no-go areas in a matter of hours reflects poorly on the forces’ morale. The court ordered the authorities to arrest the culprits named in the Joint Investigation Team’s report. Reports that major political parties based in the province are patronising the criminals is now in the court’s knowledge. We hope that justice will be fully applied.

As the elections are getting closer and closer, it is of utmost importance that peace is maintained in all restive regions of the city. But that should not be the sole reason. The rot of ethnic violence, criminal lawlessness, ruthless gangsters encouraged by political parties to take on the rivals -- eating away at the soul of the motherland has to be stopped, stamped out and destroyed once and for all. The citizens recoil at the thought of moving freely in the city; those who venture out of their homes whether during day or at night risk being robbed or worse still being shot by a sniper. In any case, when they go about their routine life, it is with the feeling of, ‘it could be me’ next time. Reeling from the Abbas Town tragedy, Shia community looks at their surroundings, their streets and neighbourhood in smouldering ruins. Even celebrating festivals inside their homes is now out of question. The quandary of an average shopkeeper for that matter is poignant no less; he has to live with extortionists lurking invariably around market places for whom killing any merchant for refusing to give them their cut is an ordinary affair.

This is life in the country’s nerve centre of commerce, the final resting place of Quaid and the city for which it was normal to glitter till late in the night, when in the early morning life would resume again with its usual hustle and bustle. Any resolve by any institution or quarter must morph into a practical crusade to free the city from gunrunners, thieves and thugs, if its past glory and glitter is to be restored.

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-ne...ons/editorials

Outgoing week remained bloodiest for Karachi; three shut downs making standstill in education, business and road communication in mega city - a true back bone of country.

There were loss of innocent and precious lives and mourning continued on call of political parties. Deaths were there many paralyze for live and many descrying their kitchen runners for good. Concerns are looming on political horizon when we see politics and political environment in Karachi particularly in the back drop of election hardly more than a week ahead. No day is passed in tranquil and game of death continues in different shapes some time blasts targeted against some political parties bringing lives in silence and other time unknown targeting humans brutally on road. Scare, fright and uncertainty is rocking paralyzing the basic function for survival of humanoid. Momentum of challenging writ of the government went up high remarkably and those responsible to check the evil trend were hamstrung and feckless in handling of situation.

Three political parties having major stakes in Karachi are right in claim that their voice to voters is blocked in this significant time when they need to approach constituencies in absence of serene. Even a mere gathering of few people is exposed to something unknown coming and almost every evening brings disaster for people. Here some unornamented questions are to be looked for answers. Such as, are all parties getting equal chance to go for election campaign? Is that not rightly pointed pre poll rigging against the parties being targeted? What role interim government and EC are having for protection of people and candidates? Have we bowed our head before terrorist and our law enforcement agencies are so nincompoops in handling such challenges? And the most important what and how all this end up in results?

Common men perspectives have less concern for the lust and yearn of politician and many questions assume no significance for them except for how sanity of stake holders is utilized in bringing human survival in peace possible Karachi which is no more there. Political parties look all this in varied dimensions: some find them in at edge in such environment as myth likely to be reality on political canvas if peaceful environment exist in Karachi and they do not want to loose timings of the election - also believe that election rescheduled will be election far fetched. Those with traditional mandate in Karachi are uncomfortable as the voters are hesitant to come out even on the day of election primarily feeling that nothing is important than life.

In true sense, the most important is human lives and than protection of property and resources. Unchecked trend of terrorism is not only expected to loose whole vision of democratic pattern of government sought after long time but also will nor present true picture of democracy even elections are held on scheduled. Government, EC and law enforcement agencies are facing real challenge. Election held in such conditions will be hired elections not depicting any real representation of people. Necessity remains napping the neck of terrorist and generating masses to election booths on Election Day.

http://www.thefrontierpost.com/category/40/