Karachi LG polls: JI cries foul over 'deliberate' delay in results

KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami’s Karachi chapter president Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Monday accused ECP of rigging in the much-awaited second phase of local body elections in Karachi, ARY News reported.

Addressing a press conference here, the JI chief said that Returning Officers (ROs) were deliberately stopping the results of Karachi LG polls. Hafiz Naeemur Rehman alleged that rigging was underway in the metropolis and castigated both the ECP and Sindh government.

“JI is in a clear position to take a simple majority in Karachi LG polls as we have already won 100 UC seats,” he said, adding that the next mayor will be from Jamaat-e-Islami.

The JI chief warned of sieging the polling stations where he said results were deliberately being delayed “to manage things”. “PPP and ECP must accept JI’s mandate and release results,” he added.

He said that his party had not been provided with the forms even after 10pm on Sunday.

Unofficial Sindh LG polls results

The results of the local government (LG) polls in Karachi and Hyderabad divisions are being delayed despite the passage of over 15 hours to the end of polling.

Despite the clear orders of the Election Commission of Pakistan, the results have not been completed till this morning.

Out of total 246 seats in Karachi, unconfirmed and unofficial results of only 20 seats have come out till Monday morning.

There was a tough competition between Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan People’s Party in Karachi.

Read more: CM Murad commends Sindh police over peaceful LG polls

PPP is leading in other districts of Hyderabad, Badin. However, the overall turnout was very low. More candidates of Jamaat-e-Islami were successful in the Central and Eastern districts of Karachi.

In Karachi, according to the full results of the UCs so far, the Pakistan People’s Party has successfully won 22 seats. PTI and Jamaat-e-Islami have secured 11 and eight seats respectively in Karachi, while where the results are yet to come, according to the ongoing counting, the scales are heavy in some places, in some places the arrow has hit the mark and in some places it has gone unanswered.

In Hyderabad, the results of 94 union committees out of a total 160 have been released. According to the unofficial and unconfirmed results PPP has secured 55 seats, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf 20 seats, Independents candidates grabbed three seats, and JI one.