The Awami National Party (ANP) was once considered the representative political party of the Pakhtun population in Karachi.
The second phase of local body elections in Sindh will be held on January 15, during which polling will be held in Karachi and Hyderabad divisions.
Karachi is said to be the world’s largest city with Pakhtun population.
However, over time, the ANP has become irrelevant in the city’s political scene despite the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) losing its grip on its stronghold.
This is evident from the fact that in the upcoming local elections, the ANP could field candidates in only four Union Committees (UCs) out of a total of 246 UCs in seven districts and 25 towns of Karachi.
In the rest of the UCs, the party announced its support to rival parties such as Jamaat-e-Islami, MQM-P and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).
In return for support, these parties have placed a few ANP workers on their panels, but these workers will not contest elections on their party’s election symbol, the lantern.
Even in Karachi District West where there is a large population of Pakhtuns in areas like Pathan Colony, Banaras, Zia Colony and Metrovale, ANP could field candidates in only three UCs out of 33 namely UC 4, 6 and 7.
In the remaining 30 UCs, the ANP is supporting other parties including its arch-rival MQMP and JI in the city.
Similarly, in Karachi’s District East, where there are Pakhtun-majority areas such as Purani Sabzi Mandi, Shanti Nagar, Lasbela, Ayub Goth, Pahlwan Goth and Sohrab Goth, the party dropped all its candidates in favor of MQMP, JI. Is. , JUIF or Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
In District Central of Metropolis, ANP has fielded only one candidate in alliance with People’s Party.
The number of ANP candidates in Malir district is said to be more than five, all these candidates will contest the election on the banner of other political parties.
In Kemari district, the party has fielded a full panel in only UC-8, but political analysts believe the panel’s chances of winning are not high.
Another full panel of the ANP in UC 10 of Sadar Town in District South will drop out in favor of the People’s Party.
One-man show in Sindh
Talking about the political decline of ANP in Karachi, several disgruntled party workers and leaders told JEE News that the current provincial leadership of the party is not willing to hold intra-party elections.
He said that a large number of workers demanding elections within the party were shown the door.
As a result, many local office seats in the party have become vacant and it has not been able to find willing workers to fill those seats.
Alam Zeib Alai, a disgruntled ANP leader who was elected union council chairman in the last local body elections, told the publication that the party’s Sindh president Shahi Syed, who is also the father-in-law of the party’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president Amil Wali. Khan had hijacked the party.
Alai said that Syed has been ruling the party in Sindh for the past 21 years and he is still not willing to hold intra-party elections.
The defected leader said that due to the one-man show, majority of ANP workers have joined other parties or become apolitical.
He said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf and Jamaat-e-Islami took advantage of such a situation, as a result of which many former youth workers of ANP can now join their ranks.
Adnan Khan, once an ANP activist in District East, said the party’s provincial leadership is completely disconnected. He lamented that he was not in touch with the people and that the organizational structure in District East had collapsed.
“Even, the leadership of the Karachi District East ANP chapter is posted in Charsadda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” Adnan said.
Spokesperson denied allegations.
Meanwhile, the newly elected spokesperson of ANP Sindh, Advocate Behare Kamal, was of the view that the party in Sindh has criminals involved who have used its platform for their illegal activities and have brought the party into disrepute.
He added that the situation prompted the provincial leadership to take corrective measures and it was decided to expel all such criminals from the party who are now calling themselves alien workers.
Kamal said that the party organization is present in all the seven districts of Karachi but could not explain why the ANP failed to erect its panels even in the Pakhtun majority areas of the city.
An ANP Sindh spokesperson confirmed that some workers were unhappy with the party’s policies but still supported the party.
He also admitted that the party has been doing limited public outreach, which has reduced its popularity.
He explained that while the central leadership of the party decided to become part of the federal government, it had to compromise on the problems of the Pakhtun population in Sindh, due to which its supporters in the province are not happy.
