KARACHI: By-elections on National Assembly seat (NA-249) is being held today (Thursday) as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has finalised arrangements in this regard.

As per ECP statistics, the total registered voters in the constituency is 339,591, out of which 201,655 are male while 137,937 are female voters.

The constituency is home to ethnically diverse population which has been deprived of the fundamental rights including clean drinking water.

Government of Sindh has declared Thursday as holiday in the jurisdiction of the Constituency of NA-249, (West-1), Karachi.

Chief Secretary, Sindh in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 80 (1) of Sindh Factories Act, 2015 has released a notification which reads “the workers residing in the said jurisdiction and are working in other districts are hereby allowed Closed Holiday to cast their votes freely in Bye-Election. The Employers/responsible are advised not to take any adverse action against the workers.”

The country’s major political parties have fielded their known faces in the race including Amjad Afridi of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Miftah Ismail of PML(N), Qadir Khan Madokhel of Pakistan People’s party, Syed Mustafa Kamal of Pak Sarzameen party and Mohammad Mursaleen of MQM Pakistan.

Famous neighbourhoods of the constituency include Gulshan-e-Ghazi, Dehli Colony, Mujahid colony, Kumhar Wara, Gujrat Colony, Turk Colony, Jam Nagar, Rasheedabad, Hussani Nagar, Anjaam Colony, Afridi Colony, Ghous Nagar, Madina Colony, Saeedabad.

PPP and PTI had requested the ECP to postpone the elections until the third wave of coronavirus infection subsides, but the ECP turned down their requests.

Last month, ECP announced reschedule for by-polls in NA-249 after PTI’s Faisal Vawda resigned from the National Assembly seat after casting his vote in the Senate elections on March 3. He had won the seat during the 2018 general election after securing over 35,300 votes.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021