Daily Times

After he was not given a ticket by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the party’s longtime activist in Lyari, Shah Jahan Baloch, has proceeded to contest the election as an independent candidate from a provincial assembly seat under NA-246, from where PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto has been fielded by the party.

Baloch remained an MNA from the constituency (then NA-248) from 2013 to 2018. However, he was not contesting the national assembly election this time out of respect for the PPP chairman, he said, while speaking to Daily Times.

Baloch, a candidate for PS-107, “I have been a diehard fan of PPP since my childhood. My father used to take me to the PPP rallies on his shoulders in Zufikar Ali Bhutto’s era,” Baloch added.

Baloch said the party had alotted tickets to newcomers who could not win the election of a union council on their own. He said Najmi Alam could not win a UC election but he had been awarded an MPA ticket, adding that Shahzad Memon joined the party only a year ago, but had been awarded an MPA ticket from PS-116.

“Lyari is PPP’s area, but the die-hard workers were ignored due to the decisions of Saeed Ghani [PPP Karachi division president] and his companions,” Baloch said.

PPP has awarded the ticket for PS-107 to Javed Nagori, who hails from Tando Allahyar and is believed to have been favoured because of his financial clout. In 2013, he was elected as an MPA from the area, with Baluch winning the NA seat. Nagori became a minister for Katchi Abadis in 2013.

Responding to the allegations, PPP Karachi Division president Saeed Ghani said he was not a part of the tickets’ distribution process. He said that the PPP chairman interviewed all candidates, Baloch would not have inspire him, therefore, he was not given the ticket.

Commenting on the matter, senior activists in Lyari maintained that party workers were not in favour of Nagori’s candidacy. They feared that with Nagori and Baluch both contesting for the seat, the PPP vote would get split between them, ultimately favouring the PTI candidate.

Shafi Baloch, a senior journalist in the locality, said that Lyari had always been PPP’s stronghold from decades and now PPP could face tough time due to the distribution of tickets.

Published in Daily Times, June 22^nd 2018.