Can proceed if the PPP recognizes the mandate set forth by JI: Rehman.
Karachi hosts a meeting between a PPP group led by Saeed Ghani and the leader of the JI.
KARACHI: According to the head of Jamaat-e-(JI) Islami’s Karachi chapter, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, the PPP and JI may “move issues forward” if they accept each other’s mandates for the position of mayor of Karachi.
Following a meeting with a PPP delegation that included Saeed Ghani, Najmi Alam, Imtiaz Shaikh, and others, he made these comments.
Both sides talked about reaching a deal to choose Karachi’s mayor. JI informed PPP of its concerns over the LG elections in the city, and PPP gave JI the assurance that its issues would be taken into consideration.
After the meeting, Rehman addressed a press conference at the Noor-e-Haq Institution in the city, flanked by PPP leaders, and stated that although four days had gone since the local government elections, the issue of the results was still open.
He said that certain parties appointed returning officers (ROs) in order to attain desired outcomes and that these “ROs were undertaking rigging attempts.”
Rehman added that the LG elections were held after two and a half years and four postponements, adding that many were discouraged from voting because of the uncertainty.
The JI leader insisted that despite several efforts, the actual election was still prone to issues and that the “administration does not want to give the people authority.”
According to Rehman, the party’s first demand is that the ROs for the seats where cases are being considered by the Election Commission of Pakistan order vote bags (ECP).
Any party has the right to request a recount of the votes, he claimed, but the PPP will “advantage of this to boost their numbers.” He said that the recount should take place prior to the ECP and urged that it cease.
“How can the PPP have a majority when we have received more than twice as many votes as they have?” The JI leader was questioned.
Rehman said that a day earlier, shots were fired at JI employees at the District Registration Office (DRO) in Malir without providing any other information.
He also denounced fights between members of the PTI and the ruling PPP outside the deputy commissioner’s office in Keamari, Karachi.
While congratulating JI on its electoral victory, Sindh Minister of Labor and Human Resources Saeed Ghani noted that the team had been sent on orders from Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah.
The fact that two responsible parties want to address this city’s issues presents a good chance for local government entities, he continued.
The PPP leader claimed that the Election Commission of Pakistan oversaw elections and that the government was not actively involved in many issues. But he pledged that JI’s worries would be taken care of and that the Sindh government will do everything in its power to fulfil its obligations.
Ghani added that the PPP would accept the ECP’s judgement and that they would not raise obstacles if JI decided to pursue legal action against the outcome of any UC.
The developments occur a day after Ghani declared that the PPP was prepared to collaborate with JI in order to devise a “formula” for choosing the coveted position of Karachi’s mayor.
According to the results announced by the electoral watchdog, the PPP won the majority of votes in the second round of local body elections in Sindh, but no party won a clear majority to choose the city’s next mayor in Karachi.
