Hafiz Naeem Ur Rehman, the head of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) in Karachi, has suggested the possibility of a coalition government with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Karachi.
The proposition was made during a press conference at the JI headquarters, Idara Noor-e-Haq. He also cautioned the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) against “horse trading” to seize the Karachi mayor election.
Rehman asserted JI’s commitment to democratic principles and warned the PPP to refrain from buying the loyalty of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation City Council members. He criticized the PPP for its attempts to secure the mayoral position despite lacking the necessary votes.
He accused the PPP of employing strong-arm tactics and state machinery to manipulate the polls and artificially inflate its numbers. Despite these tactics, he pointed out that the PPP failed to secure a majority in the local government polls.
Rehman highlighted a discrepancy in a polling station’s result that showed an inflation of votes in favor of the PPP from 41 to 419 on the government-issued result form. He condemned this as an assault on basic democracy.
Questioning the PPP’s celebration of its victory, Rehman asked chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari if these celebrations were meant to send Karachi and its citizens back to the Stone Age.
He pointed out that a coalition between JI and PTI would secure the 184 seats necessary to establish the local government in Karachi, excluding six union committees currently under judicial review. Rehman announced that discussions between JI and PTI were progressing and more information would be shared soon.
Rehman criticized the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for seeming to act under PPP’s influence and the Sindh government and the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) for allegedly reducing Karachi’s population by half in the census.
He urged the government to maintain law and order, avoid revenge politics, and refrain from undemocratic measures against any political party or group. He specifically denounced the government for arresting female political workers.
