KARACHI: According to unofficial sources, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) nominee Murtaza Wahab won the election for Karachi mayor on Thursday with 173 votes, while Jamaat-e-Islami’s Hafiz Naeemur Rehman received 161 votes.
Voting for Karachi’s next mayor began earlier in the day, with elected Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) City Council members participating.
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Murtaza Wahab of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Hafiz Naeemur Rehman of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) were competing for the position of deputy mayor, with Salman Abdullah Murad of the PPP and Saifuddin Advocate of the JI also running.
‘The government kidnapped a PTI member.’
On the other side, JI accused the Sindh government of kidnapping 29 PTI members who were meant to vote for Rehman in the poll.
The party asked the ECP to declare the polls “null and void” and to announce a new polling timetable.
Zardari extends his congratulations to newly elected MPs.
PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari congratulated Wahab and all Sindh mayors and deputy mayors.
“The success of elected local representatives is a result of workers’ hard work,” he continued.
The PPP co-chairperson also instructed all elected members to keep their offices open to the public.
The Arts Council Auditorium has been designated as a polling location for the election of Karachi mayor, with members permitted to enter the premises following identification.
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Furthermore, members who come to vote will not be permitted to bring mobile phones.
The election will be conducted by show of hands in the auditorium, and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has stated that private media will be unable to cover the polling process.
However, the preliminary proceedings will be televised on state television, but the show of hands will not be.
Aside from that, the chairman and vice chairman of nine Town Municipal Corporations will be elected today, while the candidates for chairman and vice chairman in 11 towns have been elected without opposition.
It should be noted that the PPP has won eight seats in 16 of Karachi’s 25 Town Municipal Corporations, the JI has won six seats, and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has won two seats unopposed.
Gadap Town, Malir Town, Ibrahim Hydari Town in Malir District, Lyari Town in South District, Manghopir Town in West District, Baldia Town in Kemari District, Morero Mir Bahar Town, and Maripur Town were all won by the PPP.
JI was elected unopposed as chairman and vice chairman of Landhi Town, Model Colony Town in Korangi District, North Nazimabad Town, Gulberg Town, Liaquatabad Town, and Nazimabad Town in Central District.
Saddar Town in the South District and Shah Faisal Town in the Korangi District are two towns that the PTI won unchallenged.
