Three politicians – Muzafar Ali Shujra, Qadir Bakhsh Kalmati and Abdul Bari Jelani – joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf at a press conference on Sunday.
Former Sindh minister Shujra and Kalmati belonged to the Pakistan Peoples Party, and ex-deputy provincial assembly speaker Jelani was an independent political and social figure.
Shujra said he was convinced of PTI chief Imran Khan’s struggle against corruption. He added that respect too was one of the factors that attracted him towards the party. “I have been the PPP’s Karachi president and MPA and always worked for public welfare. [I] hope to get due respect.”
Kalmati criticised his former party and said that because of its poor performance, the province had become “Masailistan [land of problems]”. He added that the PPP could not even improve the living conditions in Malir, which was considered one of its strongholds in the city.
“Everybody knows who has turned the district into a drug den,” he commented. Jelani said the PTI was the only political party in the country talking of justice. He pledged that he would serve the public from its platform.
“I have been living in the same house for the past 50 years and never joined any party and always remained independent.” PTI Karachi president Firdous Shamim Naqvi said he was proud that the three politicians along with their supporters had joined his party. He added that they had come with their already good reputation in political and business circles.
In the General Election 2018, the PTI emerged as the largest political party in the Karachi too, ending three-decade long sway of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement here. The most of the national and provincial assemblies’ seats in the city are with the party.
Out of the 21 National Assembly seats, the PTI has won 14, the MQM-Pakistan four and the PPP three. Similarly, of the 44 Sindh Assembly seats, the PTI has secured 21, the MQM-P 13, the PPP six, the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan two and tge Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal one. The election was postponed in PS-87 due to the death of a contestant.
Since the start of its political campaign, the PTI had maintained it would uplift Karachi and bring it at par with metropolitan cities of other countries. In May, Khan presented his 10 points for the city, which included an increase in mayoral powers, improvement in the educational system, better healthcare, roads and railways, a sewerage system, business opportunities, sports facilities and a clean environment.