CONSTITUENCY ANALYSIS
KARACHI: In news for the high-profile candidates in the run for the seat, NA-247 is among the few constituencies that present the stark contrast between planned and unplanned settlements in an elite-centered urban development framework employed across the country.
The constituency houses many slums besides the elite and the upwardly mobile middle-class residential areas in the Defence Housing Authority, Clifton, and Saddar.
In a survey conducted by Daily Times, the scribe also found several foundation stones and plaques put up by the outgoing PPP government, on inauguration of different development schemes of water supply and sewerage in residential colonies as well as road works. The residents of these areas in PP-110 appeared partial towards the party for the work undertaken in the previous term. PPP has awarded its ticket for the provincial assembly seat to Syed Najmi Alam.
Several residents of various unplanned slums included in the constituency said they would cast ballots for those who would given assurances about regularisation of settlements. Others mentioned dilapidated civic infrastructure and said that they would vote for candidates who could get them sanitation, roads, schools, health centres and other basic utilities.
Voting-age youngsters interviewed in PS-110, one of the provincial seats included in the constituency, said there were no playgrounds in their areas, adding that they would seek assurances from candidates about development of a policy enabling establishment of recreational facilities across the city.
On the other hand, most voters interviewed in planned settlements complained about the prevalence of street crime and the need for improvements in security arrangements.
NA-247 Karachi IX: The constituency comprises the Defense Housing Authority (DHA), Saddar and Civil Lines sub divisions, Karachi Cantonment, some parts of Clifton Cantonment and portions of Garden subdivision, alongside areas like Kala Pull, Gora Qabaristan, Light House, Kharadar and Aram Bagh.
“Our resident colony was regularised in 1996, but a portion of the colony is still deemed a katchi abadi (unregulated). We are afraid that the authorities can come at any moment and bulldoze houses in this area. We will vote for the candidate who ensures regularisations of the colony,” said Haji Sher Zaman, a resident of Pashtun-dominated Hijrat Colony. He said that most of the residents would vote for the Pakistan Peoples Party at least in PP-110 since there was a widespread perception that the party was most likely to form the next government in the province. “PPP did great work in recent years in Karachi, therefore, I will vote for it not only on provincial seat but also on the national assembly seat,” he said.
Asked about issues important to him for the voting decision, Raja Sajjad, a youngster playing cricket in a street of Shireen-e-Jinnah Colony, said, “I and my friends have decided to vote for the candidate who will assure us that a playground will be built in the area.”
While a major portion of PS-110 has Pashtun majority areas, there are pockets of Christian and Hindu settlements as well. Most of the Christian residents are registered to vote in NA-247 and PP-110 but the Hindu residents are recent migrants from interior Sindh and are not yet registered as voters in the area.
“We will vote for a candidate who can provide our area with basic facilities like drinking water,” said Pervez Masih, a resident.
According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, 236,685 voters are registered in PS-110 (130,234 men and 106,451 women); and 178,401 in PS-111 (94,531 men and 83,870 women).
The number of registered voters in NA-247 is 543,964, including 294,713 men and 249,251 women. Under the old delimitations, most of the areas now included in NA-247 were a part of NA-250 and NA-249 (downtown).
The contest for the NA seat features central leaders of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-Pakistan), Farooq Sattar, and Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP), Mustafa Kamal, besides the outgoing representative of the area from Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf, Arif Alvi, as well as popular social activist Jibran Nasir. MQM-P leader and former senator Nasreen Jalil is also in the contest for the seat as an independent (butterfly symbol). She proceeded as an independent after the party issued the ticket to Sattar.
PPP has awarded its ticket to Abdul Aziz Memon, who lost the previous election in NA-249 against MQM’s Dr Farooq Sattar. In 2013, several areas now included in NA-247 were a part of NA-249. On the PML-N’s ticket, Dr. Afnan Ullah Khan, son of former federal minister and Senator Mushahid Ullah Khan, is contending for the seat.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman is among the contestants. The party enjoyed popularity in the coastal city till 2008 elections. Its leader Naimatullah Khan occupied the city mayor’s office from 2001 to 2005. In the past, when NA-247 was NA-250, Naimatullah Khan used to contest elections for the seat on the JI ticket.
In 2013, NA-247 was won by PTI’s Arif Alvi who secured 76,305 votes against 28,374 votes of MQM’s Khushbakht Shujat. The 2008 contest was between Shujaat (of MQM) and Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig of PPP. The former won securing 52,045 votes against Dr Baig’s 44,412 votes. Abdul Sattar Afghani of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) held the seat from 2002 to 2008.
In NA-247 areas previously delimited under NA-249, there is a sizeable population of voters from the Memon community. Since Dr Farooq Sattar belongs to the community, he would try to secure a major chunk of Memon vote. However, when Daily Times reached out to voters from the community, they insisted that this time they would vote for performance, and not for community ties.
Haji Muhammad Ali Memon, who owns a wholesale clothes shop in Kharadar area, said most of his relatives had decided to vote for candidates who could be trusted to solve basic issues of the area. “Roads are broken, there are encroachments on roads, the sanitation system has collapsed, and there is acute water shortage,” he said, adding that he and others from the community had decided that that they would not vote on communal grounds. “We will see if any candidate promises to solve our basic issues, we will vote for that person,” he said, adding that he had not yet made up his mind on the issue.
Published in Daily Times, July 11th 2018.