* MQM ahead in Karachi
* ANP puts in strong showing in NWFP, JUI-F down
* Mixed results in Balochistan
* Official results today
The ruling Pakistan Muslim League and its allies have won the most seats in the first phase of local elections in 53 districts, according to unofficial results issued by the Election Commission (EC) on Friday. Returning officers will issue final notification of the winning candidates today. With results in from 1,300 of the 1,654 union councils in 17 districts that went to polls in Punjab, the PML appears to be heading for a clean sweep, though the opposition made gains in Multan, Sialkot, Sargodha and Gujranwala cities. - In Sindh, PML-ally the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) won convincingly in Karachi. The PML and allied parties, including the PML-Functional, also won in Tharparkar, Thatta, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Tando Allahyar and Naushehro Feroze. The PPP-backed Awam Dost panel was doing well in the three other districts of Jacobabad, Kashmore and Sanghar.
- In NWFP, the Awami National Party made a strong comeback from its poor showing in the last general elections, emerging as the single largest group in Peshawar, Charsadda, Swabi, Mardan and Tank. The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) won in Dera Ismail Khan and Bannu. The Jamaat-e-Islami was top in Buner.
- The results in the 14 districts that went to polls in Balochistan were mixed. The JUI-F claimed victory in Qilla Saifullah, but other results were not clear. Nationalist parties and the PML claimed to have majorities in the other districts.
Chief Election Commissioner Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar said the polls were free and transparent. âWith the exception of sporadic incidents, the overall process of polling was very fair and peaceful. Foreign and local observers also praised the conduct of polls,â he told Daily Times. He said the EC had not yet received one formal complaint of rigging. He said the EC would not hesitate to act when and if it did receive a complaint. In the NWFP, the ANP was buoyant about its results. âWe are back with a bang,â ANP Information Secretary Zahid Khan told Daily Times.
ANP Provincial President Bashir Bilour hinted the party might ally with the JI, a traditional rival, to form governments in some districts. The ANP would need a coalition partner to form government in Peshawar. The ANP claimed also to have won at 25 of the 48 union councils in Nowshera, but a blockade of GT Road made the claim difficult to confirm. The Pakistan Peopleâs Party, PPP-Sherpao, PML and PML-Nawaz failed to win majorities in any of the 12 NWFP districts that went to polls on Thursday.
The results in Tank were a setback for the JUI-F, which was behind the ANP and PML. JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman won a National Assembly seat from the district in the 2002 general elections which he later vacated for his brother to take in a by-poll. The JUI-F also did worse than expected in Karak, constituency of NWFP Law Minister Malik Zafar Azam, where no single group emerged with a clear majority.
In Punjab, the PML looked to have won all 17 districts. The party had a clear majority in Gujranwala, Rahimyar Khan, Sargodha, Sialkot, Multan and DG Khan. The results in Vehari and Muzaffargarh were mixed. Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi hailed the victory of â80 percent of our candidatesâ, while the opposition continued to make rigging charges. âThe magnitude of rigging in the first phase has rendered the whole process of local government elections doubtful,â said PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar.
In Balochistan, there were no clear winners. The Khushhal Pakistan panel backed be the PML emerged as the single largest group. The JUI-F secured a majority in Qila Saifullah and Pishin districts, while the PML was leading in Barkhan, Nasirabad, Kharan, Jaffarabad and Gwadar. Candidates backed by the Rind and Kurd clans, both of the PML, were fighting it out in Bolan. The National Party appeared to have secured the most votes from among the nationalist parties in southern Balochistan, winning seats in Gwadar, Khuzdar and Mastung. Many results are still awaited.