Karachi
Unlike the formation of a municipality and six districts in urban parts of Karachi, the situation is different in the District Council Karachi,the city’s separate borough for its rural and coastal areas, wherethe ruling Pakistan People’s Party and the Awami Ittehad, a local electoral alliance, have been struggling hard to grab the top slots of newly revived body.
Leaders from both sides and analysts saidon Tuesday a group of four members elected on an independent basishad emerged as kingmaker.
There are 38 union councils in the DCK, a separate local body for the city’s rural and coastal areas of Malir and West districts, where, in the local government polls, the PPP fought hard with the candidates backed by Awami Ittehad (AI).
However, the PPP has succeeded in securing 17 seats. Raja Abdul Razzaq, the PPP district Malir president, said his party in a gathering held in Malir on Sunday had gathered 22 members of the DCK. “We have secured a simple majority and the PPP will win all key slots easily,” he said.
However, its arch rival, the AI, an electoral alliance formed by influential chieftains and politicians,also insisted that it was still in a position to form government in the DCK.
The AI won 10 seats and claims to have secured support from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, which secured three and one seats respectively.
Saleem Kalmati, the AI leader who is also an elected councillor, said that after mustering three independent members, the AI’s strength had reached 17.
“Now the PPP and the AI each have 17 seats in the district council and both groups have been working to persuade a group of four independent members, who all are from District West, to support them,” Kalmati told The News.
The PPP has nominated Salman Abdullah Murad and Rafiq Jatt for the slots of chairman and vice-chairman of the DCK respectively. Murad is the son of PPP slain leader and former MPA Abdullah Murad, and Jatt is the son of Daud Jatt, an influential tribal chieftain of Rehri.
The AI has announced Jam Abdul Karim, son of Jam Bijar, chieftain of the Jhokio clan, for the slot of the DCK’s chairman. However, it has not named its candidate for vice-chairman.
Kalmati said the AI had offered the slot of vice-chairman to the group of the four independent members. “We are confident the AI will now form government in the DCK easily after offering the key slot.”
Sami Memon, a Malir-based veteran journalist, said the group of the four independent members elected from District West had emerged as kingmaker in the DCK politics. “Both the PPP and the AI need their support to form its government in the borough,” Memon told The News.
Revival of DCK
Last year, the PPP-led Sindh government revived the DCK, a separate local body for city’s rural and coastal areas of Malir and West districts, accepting a longstanding demand of their residents.
It has 38 union councils – 32 UCs of them are in District Malir and six are from District West.The rest of the city will be governed through one municipal corporation and its six district municipal corporations - Korangi, Central, South, East, West and Malir.
The DCK was formed during the Ayub Khan regime in 1960s and continued to exist until it was abolished during Pervez Musharraf’s rule, and its areas were divided in Bin Qasim, Gadap and Malir towns in the then City District Government.
Analysts believe the electoral politics in the DCK is totally different where groups formed on the basis of Bidrarisim (caste) and local politicians have made an alliance to give a tough fight to the PPP.
The AI, which is also known as Rajooni Ittehad, has been formed under the leadership of Bijar, state minister for communications Abdul Hakim Baloch, PML-N parliamentarian Haji Shafi Jamot, former Bin Qasim Town Nazim Khuda Dino Shah, Karachi Indigenous Movement leader Kalmati and the chieftains of different clans.