Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Jamat-e-Islami’s (JI) workers clashed Thursday outside the Arts Council which was declared a polling station for the mayoral election — after Murtaza Wahab was elected as Karachi’s mayor, defeating JI’s Hafiz Naeem Ur Rehman. According to the results, the PPP leader secured 173 votes while the JI’s Karachi chief bagged 160 votes.
The result was also the same for the elections held for deputy mayor, with PPP’s Salman Abdullah securing the seat and JI’s Saifuddin coming in second. The JI who had the backing of PTI had already announced that it would resist any attempts to influence the results and alleged that the PPP had “abducted” PTI’s union committee chairmen to “rig the polls”, a claim that the ruling party vehemently denied. As a result of the clashes, the road leading from the city’s Shaheen Complex to MR Kiyani Road was blocked. Vehicles parked there were damaged while a person was injured, and some party workers were arrested.
The workers of the rival parties were separated by law enforcers prior to the elections, but they were not enough to keep them calm as they soon clashed after the results were announced. Sindh Election Commissioner Ijaz Anwar warned that action would be taken against all who try to interrupt the peaceful polling, as Rangers have been directed to arrest all those who resort to violence.
