Sindh LG polls: JI, PTI constitute joint committee to ‘tally’ Form-11s

The PTI and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Saturday constituted a joint committee to tally Form-11s — polling station result forms issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) — and “get back what was stolen in rigging” during the second phase of the Sindh local government elections.

“The committee will comprise of four members, two each from both the parties,” PTI leader Ali Haider Zaidi said in a press conference alongside JI’s Karachi Chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman.

The second phase of the local government elections was held in 16 districts of Sindh on Jan 15. However, major contesting parties — including the ruling PPP — had raised concerns over an unusual delay in the results in Karachi and blamed the ECP for mismanagement.

The electoral body took more than 36 hours to announce the results of 236 union committees of Karachi as the opposition PTI and JI accused the provincial administration of “rigging and managing things” in its favour. However, contesting parties remain unsure about their mandate as the electoral watchdog has yet to finalise the results.

In a joint media talk today, Zaidi claimed that there were almost 40 union councils where PTI’s “mandate was stolen”.

“We have all the Form 11s […] PTI and JI have been communicating since before the elections and we have decided that we will sit together with Form 11s [in our hands],” he said.

Meanwhile, JI’s Rehman said that the joint committee will “exchange notes and Form 11s” during the process.

“Jamaat-e-Islami has presented itself [in the elections] and of course, it has a position currently to hopefully appoint our mayor,” he said.

Thanking Zaidi and his team for “accepting [and] welcoming” JI’s mandate, Rehman said, “We have agreed that we will help each other for the protection of our individual mandates.”

He went on to say that both JI and PTI had decided to reach a consensus for the city’s betterment despite the existing “political confrontation and difference of opinions”.

Hinting at a possible coalition between both political entities for bringing a mayor in Karachi, Rehman said “JI can play its role and is ready to serve the city with a mayor [appointed though consensus] if the PTI is up for it.”

“We [PTI and JI] share a working relationship despite all the unwelcoming statements made in the past.”

The JI chief requested the PTI to “help” his party so that “the 35 million residents of Karachi can take a sigh of relief”.

Here, Zaidi responded that the final decision would be made after consulting other senior leaders of the party.

In its efforts to reach a consensus, the JI’s chief on Thursday also met PPP’s delegation led by Saeed Ghani where he said he was hopeful that the PPP — winner of most seats in the recent polls — would address his party’s reservations on the matter.

Ghani had assured Rehman that the Sindh government would play its part in addressing the JI’s complaints and expressed the hope that JI would also “surely” wish to work with the PPP in the near future.