KARACHI: Both the candidates of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Kamal Malick and Faisal Rafiq, returned as winners from NA-245 and PS-115 respectively amid alow turnout in the by-elections, which concluded peacefullyon Thursdayexcept for milddisturbances insome areas of the PS-115constituency.
According to unofficial results, Kamal Malick secured 39,800 out of the registered 382,932 votes from the North Nazimabad and North Karachi constituency, which hadbeen the bastion of MQM.
The candidate belonging to the Pakistan People's Party bagged 3,000 votes, whereas thePTI managed to securemerely300 votes. Faisal Rafiq of the MQM emerged as thewinning candidate from the PS-115 by securing11,747 votesin the Lines Area locality with 162,614 registered voters. The percentage of his votesstood at around sevenpercent. Hisopponent Jamil Qadri baggedonly1,000 votes.Though the turnout was low, themargin of votes between the Muttahida and its rivals hada huge difference.
The seats hadfallen vacant after Rehan Hashmi and Arshad Vohra of MQM resigned from the constituencies. Both, Hashmi and Vohra,were given the task to contestthe local bodieselections andboth were elected.
The situation in NA-245 took a dramatic turn when the PTI candidate Amjadullah Khan withdrew his candidature in favour of the MQM candidate and also joined the MQMin the wee hours of Thursday.
This was the first time in the country’s history that a candidatenot only withdrew from contesting electionsbut also joined the rival party hours before the election. The move came as a severe blow to thePakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
The turnout was very low in the morning due to fear, but the entire polling process remained peaceful in NA-245. The reason for thelow turnout could bethe little enthusiasm shown in mobilizing peopleby the contesting parties and alsobecause there was no holiday. Despite fielding its candidates from the constituencies concerned, the PPP did not erect camps close to the polling stations to guide voters.The MQM was the only party whose workers were sitting in the camps guiding and assisting its voters.
Meanwhile, MQM’s Rabita Committee strongly condemned the arrest of Mohammed Azeem, the former member of the MQMKarachi Tanzeemi Committee. Azeem was arrested by the law-enforcement agencies while going back home after casting his vote in the PS-115.