The Apparent Beneficiaries

PTI leaders says the MQM-P is working with the PPP to delay the local government elections

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former leader of opposition in the Sindh Assembly, Syed Firdous Shamim Naqvi, echoed recent remarks by a judge of the Sindh High Court (SHC) who stated that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government in Sindh is doing nothing to solve the problems of the people of Karachi despite collecting a large amount in taxes on property, motor vehicles, and services from the metropolis.

When Barrister Murtaza Wahab requested the court a few weeks ago to vacate a stay on the collection of municipal taxes from citizens via K-Electric electricity bills, Justice Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi demanded that the Karachi administrator explain where all the taxes collected in Karachi are spent.

Naqvi recognises these and other benefits that the PPP government derives from Karachi as the primary reasons for petitioning the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to postpone the local body election in Karachi on the frivolous grounds of bad weather, floods, and security.

A February 28, 2022 Supreme Court (SC) decision bounds the provincial government to delegate several functions and civic departments to local governments in accordance with Article 140-A of the Constitution. In fact, the judgement included a list of the departments that were directed to be devolved to local government.

The second phase of local government elections in Karachi and Hyderabad Divisions, which was originally scheduled for July 24, was first postponed to August 28. The ECP postponed the local government elections on September 14 and decided to hold elections for Karachi Division on October 23 and October 18. The ECP, thereafter, postponed the elections in Karachi indefinitely, announcing that it would consider a new date at its meeting in 15 days.

“The PPP is not alone. The MQM-P, which aided the PDM in toppling the PTI government in the centre, is working hand in hand with the PPP to delay the local government (LG) elections in Karachi because they have seen the PTI’s victory written on the wall, as evidenced by the city’s recent by-elections for the national assembly,” blames Naqvi.

The SHC had rejected the MQM-P’s petition a few days before the first phase of the LG election in Sindh on the grounds of defective electoral constituency delimitation. The Sindh local government ministry had also sought election postponement by filing a report on the proceedings of a parliamentary committee of the Sindh assembly tasked with proposing amendments to Sindh local government laws in light of the Supreme Court’s February 2022 judgement, which directed the Sindh government to devolve various powers and departments to local governments in accordance with Article 140-A of the Constitution.

The MQM even filed an appeal with the apex court against the SHC order. The SC, however, dismissed the appeal, noting that the grounds raised in the appeal were not part of the pleading before the high court.

Though Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman, Karachi Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), agrees with the PTI on the PPP government’s alleged usurpation of city resources, he claims that only the JI is fighting the PPP and MQM’s tactics to prevent Karachiites from having elected local governments.

“The JI has filed petitions to prevent the provincial government from delaying the LG elections in Karachi in collusion with the election commission,” he said, adding that other parties have limited themselves to only issuing statements.

He remained sceptical that the PTI will sweep the LG elections, as it has in recent by-elections in the city. “Let us first struggle to hold the elections, and then let the elections be held,” he said, claiming that JI has spoken out strongly on every issue affecting city residents’ daily lives, including KE overbilling and load-shedding, poor road and infrastructure conditions, and water scarcity.

He stated that JI has reservations about how constituency delimitations were handled in the city but did not want it to be used as an excuse to postpone the LG elections.

Taj Haider, the PPP’s central leader, denies all allegations levelled against his party.

“Why does the media always try to pin the blame solely on the PPP-led Sindh government? Has Punjab revised its local government laws in response to a Supreme Court decision issued a few years ago? Has the Balochistan government not postponed the local government elections due to rain and flooding?” he inquired, adding that those opposed to postponing the elections scheduled for August 28 due to heavy rains were protesting in knee-deep water in front of the provincial election commission office in Karachi on August 26.

The decision to hold or postpone the elections rests with the ECP, and the Sindh government’s requests for postponement were justified.

“The PPP is well aware of its political clout in Karachi, as well as its stakes in the city. The allegations that the party wants LG elections postponed indefinitely in order to strengthen its position are thus false,” Haider asserted.

However, political observers believe that in the current political scenario of the country, particularly the PTI’s popularity and JI’s growing acceptance among the masses as an alternate political option, a further delay in LG polls benefits both the PPP and the MQM-P. The PPP would like to consolidate its position by doing some development work through its Karachi and district administrators, whereas the MQM-P would like to seek court relief over the defective delimitations, which, if left unchanged, would further erode its chances in the LG elections. Attempts were made to obtain the MQM-P’s perspective on the election delay, but none of their leaders responded to calls and messages sent to their cell phones.