KARACHI – Voting to elect mayor and deputy mayor of Karachi along with chairmen and vice chairmen of local councils across Sindh has begun, reported Wednesday.
The polling began at 09:00 am and will proceed till 05:00 PM with no interim. The Election Commission has allowed local people having expired CNICs to cast votes.
Karachi’s last leader, Mustafa Kamal, a rebel of MQM finished his tenure in February 2010.
The commission further has asked Sindh government and provincial election commission to guarantee foolproof security during the election.
Rangers Sindh Director General, in this regard visited MQM’s sealed headquarters, Nine-Zero and personnel also raided a marriage hall where Dr Farooq Sattar and Amir Khan were present.
Wasim Akhtar, mayoral candidate of Muttahida Qaumi Movement is contesting the decision from inside the jail from where he’d be moved to a polling station to cast vote. He is up against Pakistan People’s Party’s Karamullah Waqasi. Independent candidate Muhammad Rafeeq Khan and Irshad Hussain.
For Deputy Mayor, Irshad Wohra of MQM, Amanullah Afridi of PML-N and independent candidate named Naveed Javed are contesting.
On the other hand, People’s Party’s candidate has been elected unopposed as Chairman in Malir District and polling for Vice-Chairman has started.
Meanwhile, MQM has consistently won Chairman and Vice-Chairman seats in Central District of Karachi.
Mayor Designate MQM’s Wasim Akhtar is in police’s custody after court dismisses his supplication to extend judicial remand a month ago for a situation documented against Altaf Hussain for charged prompting speech against national institution.
Akhtar was selected for the case as facilitator among other MQM members.
The mayoral election in Karachi has come in during a political turmoil in the city after Dr Farooq Sattar left workers of the party and sections of media mistook for his question and answer session on Tuesday.
He reported separation with Altaf Hussain, founder of Muttahida Qaumi Movement who is living in London for more than two decades in purposeful outcast.
Space for confusion birthed as members who remained by Dr Sattar amid his conference session gave contradicting statements soon thereafter giving an impression that the leaders were not certain about their decision.