PPP leading in PS127 Malir by-election in Karachi

According to unofficial and unconfirmed results, PPP candidate Ghulam Murtaza Baloch is ahead of his main rival Waseem Ahmed of the Mutahida Quami Movement (MQM)

MQM leader Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui admitted defeat and acknowledged PPP leader Mualabux Chandio’s point of view that the PPP has a presence and vote bank in Karachi.

The seat fell vacant after  after the resignation of MQM member Ashfaque Mangi after he joined the Mustafa Kamal-led Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP). Other candidates in the race include Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Nadeem Memon, as well as candidates from the Awami National Party (ANP), and the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI).

Incidents of violence

However, there were various incident of violence witnessed during the by-elections. At least two people were injured in firing over an election camp of a political party in Khokhrapar area of Malir,

The people of the area caught an armed man and thrashed him thoroughly. The contingents of police and Rangers reached to the place and arrested the accused.

Unidentified miscreants removed the election camp of a political party and torn election posters in Jaffar Tayyar Society (UC-11).

In another incident in Urdu Nagar, Malir, the activists of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and MQM-Haqeeqi were engaged in a clash outside the polling station. Two persons sustained injuries in the fighting between stick-wielding workers of the two parties.

Police and Rangers personnel reached to the scene and controlled the situation.

Moreover, unidentified persons tried to snatch polling material outside the polling station at Malir Government Mono-technic College. The miscreants fled from the scene after the Rangers personnel reached to the place.

MQM Rabita Committe-Pakistan has alleged in a statement that the political opponents had removed the party’s election camp and subjected the party workers to violence.

In Sindh Assembly constituency PS-127 in Karachi’s Malir district, the number of total voters is 207,467. The election commission has set up 134 polling stations and 487 polling booths for the by-election. All polling stations in the constituency have been categorized as ‘extremely sensitive’ and ‘sensitive’ with regard to security.

Local authorities have announced a public holiday in the constituency to facilitate the voters.

Rangers have been deployed in the constituency to avoid any untoward incident during the electoral process. The officials of the para-military force have been granted the magistracy powers to tackle any untoward situation during the polling.