In the 2002 general elections, the ANP was unable to fetch any seats from the West district as its Pashtun constituents largely voted for the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, an electoral alliance of six religious parties. Three Pashtun leaders of the alliance’s two key components - the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl and the JI - Maulana Omar Sadiq, Hafiz Naeem Shamozai and Hameedullah Advocate had won the seats of the Sindh Assembly in the West district.
In the 2005 local bodies polls, the MQM largely won in the towns of SITE and Baldia, defeating the ANP candidates who were backed by the JI, the PPP and the PML-N. However, at the union council level, the JI had secured most slots in the Pashtun-populated areas of SITE town. The PPP had achieved success in Keamari town.
In the 2008 general elections, the ANP had grabbed an MPA seat, after forging an alliance with the PPP. Analysts believe that the ANP mustered the support of Pashtun transporters and influential Pashtun political figures under the banner of the Pashtun Action Committee formed after the May 12, 2007 violence in Karachi. After forming its government in the Centre, the PPP had taken the ANP on board in Sindh government and handed over the provincial labour department to the party.
Taliban attacks
However, the ANP has been on a downward journey in Karachi because of several reasons. Analysts say that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan's attacks on ANP leaders and rallies are one of the key reasons behind the party’s diminishing strength in the city. The Taliban’s unabated killing of ANP leaders and attacks on their houses and businesses in Karachi, especially in the West district, have compelled the party to stop all its overt political activities in the city.
In June 2012, Taliban terrorists had sent a message to ANP leaders in the city to quit the party, remove its flags and banners from their homes and shops, and close its offices.
Over 100 party activists have been killed by the Taliban in the city, mainly in the West district. The terror outfit’s Swat faction, which is headed by Maulana Fazlullah, is responsible for these killings.
Three ANP West district presidents - Saeed Ahmed Khan, Ameer Sardar and Dr Ziauddin - and general secretary - Hanif Advocate - were killed in recent years. Two members of the recently formed organising committee - Murad Khan and Wahid - were also severely injured in Taliban attacks.
Many key leaders and activists left the city and moved back to their hometowns and Islamabad. Others have joined right-wing political parties, including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, the JI and the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat.
In 2013 general elections, ANP was unable to win even a single seat in the West district.
Police officials and ANP leaders believe that the ongoing crackdown against criminals in Karachi has shattered the Taliban network in the city as many key commanders of the terrorist outfit operating in the metropolis have been killed.
Can ANP reclaim its lost turf?
Despite the successful crackdown, it will be difficult for the ANP to regain its lost stronghold as, to fill the vacuum created by its absence in Pashtun-dominated areas, particularly the West district, the JI and the PPP have been working extensively to win the support of the Pashtun constituents.
Abdul Razzaq, a Pashtun JI leader who heads the party in the West district, has been assigned the task of contacting tribal elders, civil society groups and political leaders of the community.
Similarly, PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has tasked Akhtar Jadoon, a former provincial minister who was elected from the West district's Keamari area, to woo the Pashtun community elders of the city into supporting the party.
JI chief Sirajul Haq and Zardari also visited parts of district West and met Pashtun elders in the meetings.
Also, the emergence of the PTI has also become a major challenge for the ANP in the district. The fissures within the ANP and the formation of ANP-Wali faction might also divide the votes of the the party in the Pashtun-populated parts of the district, analysts believe.
Ali Arqam, a Karachi-based analyst, said Pashtun votes in Karachi are influenced by political trends and tendencies at the national level. “They have never acted as a homogenous ethnic group on the electoral front, nor has their number in the city materialised into support for the ANP," Arqam explained.
Pashtun localities are known for their diverse political support base, as one can see flags, graffiti and offices of almost all political and religious parties there busy in their activities there, he added. “Obviously, it would divide the Pashtun vote bank in the upcoming local bodies polls."
However, Khattak claimed that the Pashtuns of the city do not approve of other political parties. “The ANP is the only party that represents the Pashtun community in the city and raised its voice for their rights," he maintained.