KARACHI: A close contest ensued between Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in NA-249 (Karachi West-II) on Thursday.
Counting started after polling ended on Thursday at 276 polling stations comprising 796 polling booths which were established in the constituency, Radio Pakistan reported. The voting process began at 8:00 am and continued till 5:00 pm without any pause.
According to unofficial results, PPP’s Abdul Qadir Mandokhel is leading the race with PML-N’s Miftah Ismail close behind, unofficial results from 63 of 276 polling stations show.
The NA seat was created in 2018 by amalgamating neighbourhoods that previously fell in two Upper House constituencies — NA-239 and NA-240 — during three general elections between 2002 and 2013.
The constituency, with 339,591 registered voters, has emerged to be a highly contested seat with candidates belonging to almost every major political party fighting for it.
Prominent candidates in the run are Miftah of PML-N, Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) chief Syed Mustafa Kamal, Amjad Afridi of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Qadir of PPP, Mohammad Mursaleen of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Mufti Nazeer Ahmed Kamalvi of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).
TLP which was banned earlier this month over violent nationwide protests is contesting the seat after the Ministry of Interior said it could contest elections until such time that it stood dissolved as a political party registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Earlier, when Miftah was in the lead, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz claimed that the “masses know who exactly is responsible for their troubles and woes”.
“I have said it earlier and I will say it again, Imran Khan and PTI will not be able to campaign and if they do, this is how they will be welcomed,” she said.
Her remarks were in response to a video shared by former journalist Talat Hussain showing PTI candidate for NA-249 Amjad Afridi being heckled by voters of the constituency.
Earlier, taking strict notice of PTI lawmakers’ presence in the NA-249 constituency during the by-poll, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) directed them to leave.
According to details, six PTI MPs Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Raja Azhar, Saeed Afridi, Bilal Ghaffar, Shah Nawaz Jadoon and Shahzad Awan were found to be violating the code of conduct by being present in the constituency during polling hours.
The ECP has issued their expulsion orders, directing police to expel them from the constituency.
Hopefuls and their supporters talking to APP acknowledged a lacklustre ambience reflecting a certain sense of detachment among the voters belonging to the constituency, however, expressed hope that they would come out of their homes by noon.
Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said that all surveys had shown the PTI to be ahead of all other parties in the by-poll.
کراچی میں NA249 کے انتخابات کے سلسلے میں کئے گئے تمام سروے بتاتے ہیں کہ تحریک انصاف کو تمام جماعتوں پر سبقت حاصل ہے، انشاللہ آن کا دن تحریک انصاف کا دن ہو گا
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) April 29, 2021
Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said in a tweet that billionaires and political heavyweights are competing against Prime Minister Imran Khan’s young ideological and local worker Amjad Afridi.
آج ارب پتی امیدواروں اور بڑے نام والے سیاست دانوں کا عمران خان کے نوجوان نظریاتی کارکن اور مقامی امجد آفریدی سے NA 249 میں مقابلہ. مقابلہ امید واروں کا نہیں مختلف سوچ کا ہے #کراچی_کی_شان_بلےکانشان
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) April 29, 2021
The election, he said, was not a contest between [different] candidates but between different ideologies.
In a statement, NA Opposition Leader and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif appealed to the people of the constituency to come out of their homes and exercise their “constitutional and democratic” right to vote.
He said that by exercising their right to vote, people could elect competent representatives that would fulfil the promises made to the people.
“I am confident that you will make the right decision, as you did in the past, and will play your part in helping to deal with the myriad of problems plaguing the country,” he said. He also urged caution in light of the current coronavirus situation and told voters to wear a face mask.
