In Pakistan’s Sindh, four electoral battles that may go down to the wire

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Updated 28 January 2024
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In Pakistan’s Sindh, four electoral battles that may go down to the wire

  • Last-ditch efforts by candidates to win public support have created a buzz in four hotly contested Sindh constituencies 
  • NA241 Karachi, NA-194 Larkana, NA-246 Karachi and NA-203 Khairpur are expected to see closely fought battles 

KARACHI: As political activity in the country gains steam ahead of national polls on Feb. 8, electoral battles in some constituencies will be more closely fought than in others, with Pakistan’s southern Sindh province being no exception.

Arab News visited four key constituencies in Sindh where multiple political heavyweights will be locking horns and the contest will most definitely go down to the wire. 

NA-241 Karachi 

The NA-241 constituency in Karachi — a city of over 18 million people that is home to Pakistan’s main port, stock exchange and central bank — consists of the upscale Defense Housing Authority (DHA) and Clifton areas, and part of the Old City area. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Khurram Sherzaman, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s (MQM-P) Dr. Farooq Sattar, Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Dr. Ikhtiar Baig and Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) Naveed Ali Baig will be locking horns for the National Assembly 241 seat. 




Commuters move past the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) flags hung over a street in Karachi on January 12, 2024, ahead of the upcoming general elections. (AFP)

Pakistan’s incumbent president, PTI’s Dr. Arif Alvi, won NA-241 in the 2013 national elections, securing 76,305 votes, and again in the 2018 election with 91,020 votes, but resigned from the seat after he was nominated for the Pakistani presidency.

After Alvi’s resignation, PTI’s Aftab Siddiqui won the by-election in the constituency with 32,456 votes. In the past, JI’s Abdul Sattar Afghani and MQM’s Khushbakht Shujaat had won the seat in 2002 and 2008 elections, respectively. 

Muzzamil Aslam, a senior PTI member, said the party had a strong position in the constituency despite the election regulator’s move last month to strip the party of the bat election symbol, meaning its candidates now had to contest as independents, each with a different election symbol.

In Pakistan, election symbols appear on ballot papers, with voters able to put a stamp on their symbol of choice. The ballot paper also has names, but over 40 percent of Pakistan’s 241 million population are illiterate, making the pictures extra important for recognition.

A majority of Pakistan’s constituencies are in rural areas where the literacy rate is around 50 percent, according to the economic survey of 2022-23, but in Karachi, a major urban center, PTI leaders hope the loss of the bat symbol won’t be a decisive factor. 




Workers install flags of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) Party on the rooftop of a building, ahead of the upcoming general elections, in Karachi on January 24, 2024. (AFP)

“The bat has gone, which has diluted the impact, but interestingly, our opponents have not been able to estimate things,” Aslam said, hoping that PTI supporters would once again vote for the party.

Taj Haider, a senior PPP leader, said his party’s candidate had been assured by residents they would vote for the PPP. 

“The people are not happy with the PTI and are now supporting us,” Haider said.
 
Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, who heads the MQM-P, said the party’s candidate Dr. Farooq Sattar, who has previously served as mayor of Karachi and been elected to the National Assembly multiple times, was the best choice.

“He’s served Karachi many times,” Siddiqui said. “He is one of the most educated and grassroots leaders of the MQM.”

Siddiqui said the MQM-P had a better chance at winning this election than the PTI due to the “conditions” that the PTI had been facing, referring to a crackdown against the party since May last year, when its supporters staged violent demonstrations in the country over Khan’s brief detention in a graft case. The crackdown has seen several senior PTI figures defect, be arrested or go into hiding. Khan is himself currently in jail in a graft case and faces multiple other legal cases in courts across the country.

Still, Nadia Naqi, a Karachi-based analyst, said the MQM-P would face a “challenge” in winning the battle for NA-241. 

“It constitutes the majority of those areas where people have more of a liking for PTI, it has a huge support of PTI, we must not forget that,” she told Arab News. 

“So, I think it will be a lesser challenge to PTI right now and more of a challenge to Farooq Sattar.”

NA-194 Larkana 

The NA-194 constituency is the hometown of the Bhutto dynasty, which has ruled Sindh for decades and given the nation two prime ministers. However, its Pakistan Peoples Party is expected to witness a tough contest here between PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Rashid Mehmood Soomro, a senior member of the Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam (JUI) religious party. 




Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (R) submits his nomination papers to the returning officer in Larkana of Sindh province on December 24, 2023, ahead of the upcoming 2024 general elections. (AFP/File)

Primarily comprising Ratodero Taluka and parts of Larkana Taluka, NA-194 also includes a portion of Larkana city, the hometown of PPP founder and former premier Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. 

In the last election, Bhutto-Zardari won in Larkana with 84,426 votes, while JUI’s Soomro stood second with 50,200 votes. 

The PPP had done its homework and like the previous elections, its candidate would win the election despite the opponents forming an alliance, PPP’s Haider said.

However, Shahzeb Jilani, an analyst who belongs to the same constituency, said the PPP would face tough competition in Larkana, as the JUI candidate had run a formidable campaign against the PPP in 2018 even though the PPP eventually won the election.

“It is certainly not an easy ride for Bilawal Bhutto to win the seat,” he told Arab News. “The only problem in Sindh is that the threshold of opposition is not that high to defeat a [PPP] candidate.”

NA-246 Karachi 

This constituency includes Mominabad town and parts of Karachi West district and will be hotly contested between JI Karachi chief Naeem-ur-Rehman and MQM-P’s Ameenul Haque, a former federal minister for IT. 




A billboard of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) featuring their leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, along a road in Karachi on January 12, 2024, ahead of the upcoming general elections. (AFP)

In 2002, MQM’s Muhammad Abdul Rauf Siddiqui won this seat with 62,690 votes, while Dr. Abdul Qadir Khanzada was the winner in 2008. In 2013, MQM’s Mehboob Alam emerged victorious in the constituency with 166,836 votes, whereas Haque won the seat in 2018 by defeating PTI’s Muhammad Aslam and JI’s candidate secured third position with 21,812 votes. 

“The MQM will completely sweep and there has never been a challenge for the MQM [in NA-246],” MQM-P chief Siddiqui said, adding that the seat had consistently been won by his party since 1980s. 

Rehman said the JI was a better option as it had spoken up for the resolution of various public issues in Karachi in recent months.

“No one else held their hand but the Jamaat-e-Islami resolved 80 percent of their issues,” he said. 

Naqi agreed that Rehman was a candidate who had been highlighting Karachi’s issues, including of electricity and gas tariff hikes, issuance of national identity cards and water shortage. 

“Jamaat-e-Islami, in that manner, has had a very good presence in terms of connecting with the people,” she said. “If he really loses that seat, then there’s something that is wrong, the Jamaat e Islami has to put that right ingredient. And if the MQM really wins that seat, we’ll have to see the margin also.” 

NA-203 Khairpur 

The Pakistan Muslim League-Functional’s (PMLF) Pir Sadaruddin Shah consistently won the seat in the 2002, 2008, and 2013 general elections with 63,520, 97,347, and 86,982 votes, respectively. However, PPP’s Pir Syed Fazal Ali Shah Jilani defeated Shah by bagging 95,972 votes in the last election in 2018. 




Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) chairman and Prime Ministerial candidate Bilawal Bhutto Zardari waves toward supporters during a campaign rally for the 2024 general elections in Khairpur in Sindh province on January 14, 2024. (AFP/File)

They will now be facing off against each other again. 

“This seat originally belongs to us and we will reclaim it,” said Sardar Raheem, PML-F’s general secretary. 

But Jilani, the analyst, said the PPP had been seen consolidating its position in constituencies where it did not win previously. 

“For Sadruddin Rashidi, he’s been winning that seat because they have their own set of spiritual followers,” he said, adding that Fazal banked on the PPP vote and his own planning to win the seat in the last election and he would be trying to pull the same feat once again.


Pakistan PM says ceasefire with India offers chance to resolve Kashmir, water issues

Updated 10 May 2025
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Pakistan PM says ceasefire with India offers chance to resolve Kashmir, water issues

  • Shehbaz Sharif thanks President Trump, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for de-escalation efforts
  • Pakistan’s foreign office denies allegations of ceasefire violation, says Islamabad implementing the deal

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday Pakistan had agreed to a ceasefire with India in the hope that it would open the door to resolving longstanding disputes between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, including the Kashmir conflict and the division of river waters.

His remarks came hours after the United States helped broker a ceasefire between the two South Asian rivals following intense missile and drone exchanges, which began after a gun attack in Pahalgam, a tourist resort in Indian-administered Kashmir, that killed 26 people.

India blamed Pakistan for the incident despite Islamabad’s rejection of the allegation, and launched retaliatory strikes on what it called “terrorist infrastructure.” It also took other retaliatory actions, including suspension of a decades-old river water sharing treaty with lower riparian Pakistan.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said both countries had agreed to a ceasefire and would begin talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral venue.

“As a responsible state, we have responded positively to the ceasefire proposal in the interest of global and regional peace, and for the millions of people living in the region,” Sharif said in a televised address to the nation.

“We firmly believe that all outstanding issues, including the dispute over Jammu and Kashmir and the distribution of water resources, should be resolved through peaceful dialogue in accordance with the principles of justice,” he added.

Earlier in the day, the Indian foreign secretary said the two countries’ military operations chiefs had spoken to each other and agreed that all fighting would stop at 5 p.m. Indian time (1130 GMT), without using the word “ceasefire.” The MO chiefs would next speak on May 12, he added.

Within hours, however, India accused Islamabad of violating the ceasefire by targeting Srinagar city in Kashmir.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Ata Tarar denied the allegation, saying people in his country were celebrating the end of the conflict and the government remained committed to the agreement.

The foreign office of Pakistan also maintained the country remained committed to the “faithful implementation” of the ceasefire.

“Notwithstanding the violations being committed by India in some areas, our forces are handling the situation with responsibility and restraint,” it said in a statement.

“We believe that any issues in smooth implementation of the ceasefire should be addressed through communication at appropriate levels,” it continued. “The troops on ground should also exercise restraint.”

Pakistan’s Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry told Arab News, “the response would be harsh” if India defied the ceasefire agreement.

Meanwhile, the prime minister said in his address that India had used the Pahalgam incident “as a pretext” to impose war on Pakistan.

“In its arrogance, the enemy made a failed attempt to violate our borders,” he said. “We decided to respond to the enemy in the language it understands best.”

Sharif also thanked US President Donald Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed for their role in helping de-escalate the situation.


Saudi Arabia, other nations welcome news of India-Pakistan ceasefire

Updated 10 May 2025
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Saudi Arabia, other nations welcome news of India-Pakistan ceasefire

  • Pakistan appreciates Saudi Arabia’s positive role in promoting regional peace and stability
  • Western powers say ‘dialogue is key,’ hoping both sides to respect the ceasefire agreement

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia, China, the United Arab Emirates, and several other countries on Saturday welcomed the ceasefire understanding between Pakistan and India, following a week of military escalation that raised fears of a full-blown war between the two South Asian neighbors.

The ceasefire, brokered with US support after missile and drone exchanges between the nuclear-armed neighbors, has drawn a wave of diplomatic endorsements after many countries called for restraint and renewed dialogue.

Pakistan has credited the international community for playing a constructive role in defusing tensions, while also emphasizing its own measured response to what it described as Indian aggression.

“Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50, received a call from the Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Adel Aljubeir @AdelAljubeir, who welcomed the ceasefire understanding between

Pakistan and India,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a post on social media platform X.

“DPM appreciated Saudi Arabia’s positive and constructive role in promoting peace & security in South Asia,” it added.

Dar also spoke with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, briefing him on the regional situation following Indian attacks and Islamabad’s “carefully calibrated response.”

According to Pakistan’s foreign office, Wang acknowledged Pakistan’s restraint and described its actions as responsible under challenging circumstances.

China reaffirmed its support for Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and pledged continued coordination.

The UAE also expressed support for the ceasefire.

In a separate call, UAE Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed welcomed the development, and Dar commended the Gulf state’s diplomatic engagement in fostering regional peace.

Germany’s foreign office described the ceasefire as a “first, important step out of the escalation spiral” and stressed the importance of dialogue.

“Dialogue is key,” it said. “The German government has been in contact with both sides in the past days.”

Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, said she had spoken with both Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers and called the truce a “vital step toward de-escalation.”

“All efforts must be made to ensure it is respected,” she wrote on X, reaffirming the EU’s commitment to peace, stability and counter-terrorism in the region.

The flare-up between Pakistan and India, one of the most serious in recent years, followed a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last month and escalated into missile strikes, drone attacks and cross-border fire over the past week.

The ceasefire, announced Saturday, has temporarily halted hostilities, with both sides trading blame for the conflict.


Pakistan, China, Afghanistan vow cooperation on security and economy at Kabul meeting

Updated 10 May 2025
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Pakistan, China, Afghanistan vow cooperation on security and economy at Kabul meeting

  • Representatives of the three countries met under a trilateral mechanism launched in 2017
  • They discussed the forthcoming foreign ministers’ conference expected to take place in Kabul

PESHAWAR: A trilateral meeting hosted by Afghanistan in Kabul on Saturday focused on economic and security outlook of the region, according to Pakistan’s special envoy Mohammad Sadiq, as the participants pledged to deepen cooperation in various fields.

The meeting marked the latest round of talks under the trilateral dialogue mechanism between Afghanistan, China and Pakistan that was launched in 2017 to promote political trust, counterterrorism coordination and economic integration.

Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, hosted the talks, which also included China’s special envoy Yue Xiaoyong.

“The first meeting of the Pakistan-China-Afghanistan trilateral in Kabul today... provided the occasion for convergence of views on economic and security cooperation as well as regional stability,” Sadiq, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, said in a post on social media platform X.

All three sides reviewed progress on commitments made during the last dialogue and agreed to convene the sixth round of foreign ministers’ meeting in Kabul at a future date, according to a report published by Afghanistan’s Ariana News.

The officials also discussed broader preparations for an upcoming meeting of foreign ministers from Afghanistan’s neighboring countries, and reaffirmed their intention to expand political and economic engagement.

Muttaqi highlighted the importance of strengthening bilateral and trilateral ties, while the Chinese and Pakistani envoys reiterated their commitment to good-neighborly relations based on mutual respect and non-interference.

China and Pakistan are among the few countries to maintain ongoing engagement with the Taliban-led government in Kabul, though neither formally recognizes it.

Both Beijing and Islamabad have called for stability in Afghanistan to enable cross-border connectivity and curb the threat of militant spillover.


Pakistan says ‘premature’ to speculate if ceasefire will lead to real peace with India

Updated 10 May 2025
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Pakistan says ‘premature’ to speculate if ceasefire will lead to real peace with India

  • Pakistani State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry tells Arab News “response would be harsh” if India defied ceasefire 
  • Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri says armed forces had been given instructions to “deal strongly” with any violations

ISLAMABAD: Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said on Saturday it was premature to speculate if a US-brokered military ceasefire between Pakistan and India would lead to real peace, as fresh violence was reported on both sides of the de facto border between the two nuclear-armed nations, who vowed retaliation. 

Within hours of the truce announcement, violations were reported from the main cities of Indian-administered Kashmir, as well as in Azad Kashmir on the Pakistani side of the Line of Control, the de facto border that divides the disputed Kashmir region between India and Pakistan.

The reports came after Islamabad and India both announced a sudden stop to a conflict that had seemed to be spiraling alarmingly. The US said they had also agreed to hold talks on a broad range of issues at a neutral site.

Pakistani Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry told Arab News, “the response would be harsh” if India defied the ceasefire agreement. 

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the armed forces had been given instructions to “deal strongly” with any violations.

Pakistani information minister Attaullah Tarar has said there is “no truth” to Indian claims it had violated the ceasefire.

“This is just the beginning, it’s a bit early to speculate,” Asif said in an interview to Geo News when asked if the ceasefire could open a path to real peace. 

“As time passes maybe these types of paths will emerge but at this point it would be premature to pin those kinds of hopes to the problem.”

He added: “When talks begin, maybe some way will be found.”

Earlier in the day, the Indian foreign secretary said the two countries’ military operations’ chiefs had spoken to each other and agreed that all fighting would stop at 5 p.m. Indian time (1130 GMT) without using the word “ceasefire.” The MO chiefs would next speak on May 12, he added. 

But within hours, Reuters said blasts were heard in Srinagar and Jammu in Indian-administered Kashmir and projectiles and flashes were seen in the night sky over Jammu, similar to the events of the previous evening.

Pakistani witnesses and local media channels also reported firing from India into Pakistan in Azad Kashmir.

“BITTER HISTORY”

The ceasefire announcement came after the Pakistan military said early on Saturday India had attacked three bases in Pakistan with missiles, after which it had targeted multiple bases in India in response, including a missile storage site in India’s north.

India said there was limited damage to equipment and personnel at air force stations in the Udhampur, Pathankot, Adampur and Bhuj areas. The military said there were several high-speed missile attacks on several air bases in Indian Punjab, and that India had responded to the attacks.

Saturday’s military confrontation, the worst fighting between the longstanding enemies in decades, followed days of daily clashing since Wednesday through drones and missiles and gunfighting on the Line of control. At least 50 have been killed on both sides.

The latest round of tensions were triggered by a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people on April 22. New Delhi said Islamabad was involved, which denied the allegation and repeatedly said it was willing to participate in a transparent and credible inquiry.

Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations, having fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, a region split between them, since gaining independence from the former British colonial rule in 1947.

Both nations acquired nuclear weapons in 1998.

– With inputs from Reuters


Pakistanis welcome ceasefire with India but caution against trusting New Delhi

Updated 10 May 2025
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Pakistanis welcome ceasefire with India but caution against trusting New Delhi

  • A trader in Karachi says no one wins in war, warning that conflicts only bring human suffering
  • A veterinarian in Islamabad warns India can behave unpredictably even within treaty frameworks

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: People in Pakistan on Saturday welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire with India after heavy cross-border missile and drone exchange between the two countries, though some expressed skepticism about New Delhi’s willingness to uphold the truce.

The ceasefire brought an end to one of the most serious military standoffs between the two nuclear-armed neighbors in decades, triggered by a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last month that killed 26 tourists.

India blamed Pakistan for the incident and launched missile strikes on what it called “terrorist camps” in five Pakistani cities. Islamabad denied involvement and retaliated by targeting Indian military sites.

The hostilities escalated until Washington brokered a truce, announced Saturday by US President Donald Trump.

“Look, the ceasefire announcement has been beneficial for both countries,” said Abbas Raza, a trader in Karachi, while speaking to Arab News. “Who wins when there’s loss? No one wins in loss. People only suffer.”

Muhammad Shehbaz, a local businessman in the city, said Pakistan had exercised restraint for days despite repeated “Indian provocations.”

“India was pushing, trying to provoke Pakistan into escalating the conflict,” he said. “They kept at it, but Pakistan showed restraint again and again.”

“Then yesterday, when Pakistan carried out a retaliatory strike, they were shaken within three hours,” he continued. “They were brought to their knees. And today, they called in Trump and agreed to a ceasefire.”

Zubia Mehfooz, a woman visiting Karachi, said she had been unable to return to the United States, where her family lives, due to the airspace shutdown caused by the conflict.

“I was here for some work and got stuck,” she said. “I have a flight Monday morning. There’s never an issue from our [Pakistani] side. You know where the issue comes from. If the ceasefire holds, it’s a very good thing.”

But in Islamabad, some urged caution, citing past episodes.

“We don’t fully trust India’s statements,” said Muhammad Farhan Hameed, a veterinarian. “Past experiences have shown this. Many treaties have been signed before, but sometimes they behave unpredictably and break from what was agreed.”