PTI leadership happy with NA-246 results… but should it be?

Karachi
Although the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leadership seems content with the performance in the NA-246 by-polls, there are many in party who are not. In fact, a debate has emerged within the PTI, as the leadership is being criticised for its wrong decisions and a demand has been raised for completely restructuring the party in the city.
Interviews with party leaders and analysts suggest that the PTI had failed to understand the political dynamics of Karachi.
“We did not offer any vision for Karachi during the campaign for the by-elections that could resonate with people,” said a central leader of the party.
“We also did not mobilise the middle-class voters residing in Ayesha Manzil and FB Area. The lower middle-class is the stronghold of the MQM and they came out in large numbers to vote for it,” he added.
Besides, several party supporters complain that the PTI does not focus on Karachi in its politics.
“After disappearing for two years, the PTI started focusing on Karachi only now when the MQM is in pressure after the Nine Zero raid,” said a party activist in Liaquatabad. “PTI supporters voted for the party in the last without knowing who the candidates were, but were ditched after the polls,” he maintained.
Many party leaders also criticise their leadership for awarding the ticket for NA-246 to Imran Ismail. “Nobody knows on what basis was Ismail awarded the ticket except that he is a close confidant of the party chairman,” said another party leader.
He also criticised the party chief for not neglecting Amir Sharjeel, the party’s former candidate in the constituency.
Imtiaz Khan Faran, a veteran journalist, said the PTI had emerged as the second largest political force in Sindh in the last general elections, but had failed to focus on the city’s politics and organise the party. “There was a vacuum of an alternative political force in Sindh, especially in Karachi, but the party’s central leadership did not try to fill the void,” he added.
Split in the party
Analysts believe that party still has a strong support base in Karachi but it will be difficult for it to replace the MQM because of two main reasons– weak organisational set-up and a lack of understanding of Karachi’s political dynamics.
“The PTI is divided into three to four factions in Karachi and their differences have become more severe after the appointment of Ali Zaidi as the Karachi president,” said Faran. “This is compelling several founding members of the PTI to join other parties,” he added.
He said PTI six leaders, who were known as “chay pyaray” (the six beloved ones) within the party, have been running the party affairs in the city.
For the last several months, the party has had two parallel organisational presidents in the city – Najeeb Haroon and Ashraf Qureshi. But on December 25, the party’s central leadership nominated Zaidi as Karachi president, deepening the crisis.
Many leaders, including Subhan Sahil, Qureshi and Zubair Khan, describe it as an “undemocratic” attitude of the party’s central leadership, and say it will harm the party’s popularity in the city.
The disgruntled leaders also say that according to the PTI election tribunal report, prepared by Justice (retd) Wajihuddin Ahmed on the party’s internal elections, the leadership is not allowed appoint anyone.
However, in late March, the PTI leadership had accepted the recommendation of the tribunal report to hold countrywide fresh elections and dissolved all organisational tiers of the party, except that of the party chairman.

A good sign
Mutahida Qaumi Movement candidate Kunwar Naveed Jameel had won the NA-246 by-elections by securing 95,644 votes, while PTI candidate Imran Ismail was the runner-up with 24,821 votes. Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Rashid Naseem stood third with 9,056 votes.
The seat had fallen vacant after the resignation of Nabeel Gabol, who was elected on an MQM ticket in the 2013 general elections.
Despite not succeeding in winning the seat, PTI leaders claim that the party has set a new positive trend in the city’s electoral politics.
“Actually the PTI’s real victory is that it has set a new trend of a healthy competition in a constituency of Karachi, where people, for the first time, have realised the worth of their votes. In the past polls, elections used to be won by sitting at homes,” Ismail told reporters on Friday. “It was the PTI, which, for the first time, stopped rigging in an lection in Karachi.”
A section of political analysts share similar views. They believe that the entry of the PTI in by-polls has completely changed the political scenario in NA-246, which is the bastion of the MQM with its headquarter Nine Zero and a heavy majority of the Urdu-speaking community in the constituency.
“For the first time, we saw that the MQM was under immense pressure but performed very well to retain its support base in the constituency,” said a political analyst in Karachi.
A journalist said the participation of the PTI had also compelled the JI to take part in the polls. “The JI did not participate in the past by-polls after the 2013 general elections in the city. We have the example of NA-254 Korangi,” he added.