KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Friday demanded of the Election Commission to delay the local bodies polls on reserved seats for the city council amid a rigorous crackdown with a political revenge against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leadership.

The JI said that since a crackdown with a clear political revenge against the PTI leadership, the ECP should delay the polls on reserved seats for the city council.

According to the JI, it has approached the ECP through a letter for the postponement if the polls. It said that the PTI is its “potential” coalition partner to form the local government.

It showed concerns over the continuing “political crisis and anarchy” in the country with “aggregating” political revenge and crackdown targeting the PTI’s local leadership in Karachi. It however welcomed the ECP decision putting off the polls.

“A large number of PTI leaders and workers went into hiding to escape arrest and victimization,” the JI said and alleged the ruling PPP of “forcing” the elected representatives of the PTI to change their loyalties in its favor.

The letter said that the PPP managed to win local government election with a big number through pre-poll and post-poll rigging though it is still unable to find required votes to elect its party’s mayor for Karachi.

The JI stands on the first place with the highest number of votes followed by the PTI on second position on the victory index and then the PPP, despite it used every “illegal tactics” but ended up at third, it said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023