Jamaat-i-Islami Protests Alleged Rigging in Karachi By-Elections

Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) led a protest against the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in Karachi, claiming manipulation in recent local by-elections. Despite PPP's victory in eight out of ten seats, JI alleged electoral fraud and vowed further protests. Concerns about transparency were raised, with accusations of unfair tactics and election result irregularities.

On Friday, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) organized a protest on Karachi's Sharea Faisal, accusing the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of manipulating the results of recent local government by-elections with administrative support. These by-elections, held on Thursday, aimed to occupy 10 vacant seats, including several key positions across different Karachi districts. The PPP emerged triumphant by securing eight seats, including one in the historically JI-led Liaquatabad Town.

Despite winning two seats, JI lambasted the outcome, alleging electoral rigging, and staged a demonstration near the Nursery bus stop to underscore their discontent. According to Dawn reports, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), which had previously raised concerns about the electoral process, refrained from commenting on the results. Addressing the protestors, JI leader Monem Zafar emphasized that his party wouldn't abide by what they termed a 'fake mandate' and warned of escalating protests if the results weren't revised to reflect genuine voter intention.

Zafar accused the PPP, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), and law enforcement of manipulating election results. He passionately affirmed that fraudulent outcomes won't be tolerated, and pledged to continue protests and pursue legal remedies. He articulated that Karachi's electorate significantly supported JI, but the PPP resorted to 'electoral terrorism' and 'unfair strategies' to turn their apparent 'defeat' into victory.

Critiquing the PPP further, Zafar alleged reliance on 'fascism, mandate theft, hooliganism, and undemocratic tactics.' He claimed tampering had occurred with vital election documents under PPP influence. Zafar asserted these manipulations have gravely undermined public trust in the electoral framework, a situation he termed both grave and perilous.

Providing examples of alleged disruptions, Zafar pointed to irregularities in Model Town's UC 7. He noted the JI traditionally won with a significant margin, contrasting drastically with recent by-poll irregularities, where votes appeared inflated for PPP and diminished for JI. Similar discrepancies were cited regarding Liaquatabad Town, prompting his concerns over electoral fairness in Karachi.

(With inputs from agencies.)