KARACHI: Pakistan People's Party’s candidate Abdul Hakeem Baloch on Monday emerged victorious in the by-election for the National Assembly constituency NA-258, Karachi, comprising mainly suburban areas of the city, in a largely one-sided electoral contest.
Abdul Hakeem Baloch was also the MNA from the same constituency on the ticket of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz). He resigned as a legislator and the state minister for communications before rejoining the Pakistan People's Party. Earlier, the by-poll was scheduled to be held on 24 November but was put off till the 28th after law-enforcement agencies requested the election authorities in view of the heightened security arrangements for international arms expo, IDEAS-2016, held in Karachi from November 22-25.
Till the filing of this report late on Monday night, Hakeem Baloch had secured over 80,000 votes while none of the 13 other contestants in the field could clinch any significant number of votes in the by-poll. The victory of Hakeem Baloch became quite certain after three other political parties, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, announced to boycott the by-polls, alleging the use of state machinery by the provincial government to rig the by-polls.
The areas of Malir, Gadap, Landhi, Bin Qasim Town, Steel Town, Port Qasim, Gulshan-e-Hadeed and several rural settlements on the fringes of the city make up the constituency NA-258.
The polling was held in a largely peaceful fashion from 8am to 5pm without any break. The voters turnout remained quite low. There were a total of 408,613 registered voters in the constituency out of which 241,792 were male voters while 166,821 female voters. The polling process remained lacklustre while the turnout of woman voters remained visibly low, mainly in the Pakhtun-dominated localities of the constituency.
The Election Commission established 287 polling stations to hold the by-poll out of which 227 were declared sensitive and 60 polling stations were declared highly sensitive. In all, there were 982 polling booths out of which 501 were for the male voters and 481 for women. Some 2,277 polling staff in total supervised the entire electoral exercise.
Till our going to the press, the final tally of the result was yet to be notified by the Election Commission. Earlier in September this year, PPP’s candidate Ghulam Murtaza Baloch emerged victorious in a crucial by-election for PS-127 constituency in Karachi pertaining to the Sindh Assembly.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, PPP Sindh president and provincial minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, other provincial ministers belonging to the PPP’s government congratulated Abdul Hakeem Baloch for his victory in the by-poll.
In his message, the PPP congratulated the people of Karachi for their overwhelming victory in the by-election from NA-258 adding that PPP candidate Hakim Baloch after winning the seat must show path to all the former PPP leaders to return to their mother party and carry forward the mission for a democratic Pakistan as envisioned by Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
"The victory of Hakim Baloch as the PPP candidate just one day ahead of the party's entry into the 50th year after its foundation from Karachi is an open message to the people of Pakistan that PPP is the only party which binds all Pakistanis in strong unity and national fraternity," the PPP chairman said.
He said the golden jubilee year of the PPP, beginning from November 30, was a great moment for a strong and democratic Pakistan, which stands as a model Muslim nation in the world in the 21st Century.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that week-long celebrations on the Foundation Day in Lahore provide a historic chance to the Jiyalas from all over the country to reiterate their commitment and conviction to the PPP and its programme. "Victory of PPP candidate Hakim Baloch is just a start and PPP candidates will win from all over the country in the 2018 general elections," he added and congratulated to the PPP candidate and all the workers of Malir and Karachi.
