PPP victory proves 2018 general elections were rigged: Ghani

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) will not enter into any sort of negotiations with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for securing the coveted position of the Karachi mayor.

Sindh Labour and Human Resources Minister Saeed Ghani categorically rejected any possibility of coalition with the PTI in the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation as he addressed a press conference at the Sindh Assembly on Monday.

Ghani, who is also the president of the PPP’s Karachi chapter, conceded that no single political party on its own could secure the city’s mayoral post after the local government elections. He said the people of Karachi by choosing the PPP as the largest party in the local government polls had exposed the reality of the results of rigged general elections held in 2018.

The minister added that as per the unofficial results, the PPP had emerged victorious in over 100 union committees of Karachi. He expressed gratitude to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, former president Asif Ali Zardari, Sindh chief minister, PPP office-bearers and activists in all districts of the city, and residents of Karachi for the PPP’s victory in the local government polls.

The people of Karachi had reposed trust in the PPP as it had emerged as the largest party after the local government polls, Ghani said. He added that the latest results were in accordance with the earlier predictions of the PPP leaders about the victory of their party in the local govt polls in Karachi.

He also congratulated the Jamaat-e-Islami and its city leader Hafiz Naeemur Rehman for emerging as the runner-up in the polls, stating that the people of Karachi had also expressed their confidence in the JI.

Ghani mentioned that the PPP’s Sindh government had served well the residents of Karachi and the latest election results also reflected the same public service by the party. He told journalists that it was utterly wrong to assume that the PPP had not emerged successful in Karachi in the past elections. He said the PPP had gained successes in Karachi in the elections held in 1970, 1977, and 1983. He also recalled that the PPP and its allies had secured greater number of seats in the local government polls in Karachi in 2001 but at that time, it was not given the opportunity to secure the post of the Karachi nazim.

To a question, Ghani said it had been their desire that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM) participated in the local government polls. He recalled that the Muttahida had in the past boycotted local government and general elections.

The people of Karachi had proved utterly wrong the impression that the PTI was the most popular political party in the provincial capital, Ghani said, adding that the PTI leadership had made wrong impressions about the PTI’s popularity in Karachi.

The Sindh labour minister said the PTI during its stint in power had done nothing for the development of Karachi. To a question whether the Sindh CM could go to the JI’s offices to strike an alliance for the mayoral seat, Ghani said the CM was the representative of the entire province and as he had earlier gone to the JI’s offices, he could do the same again.

Responding to another question about the reason behind low turnout of voters in Karachi’s local govt polls, he said serious uncertainty about the polls until the eve of the elections was the main reason behind people choosing not to cast their votes. The boycott call given by the MQM-P was also one of the factors responsible for the low turnout, he added.