Patriot Report
ISLAMABAD: The Awami Workers Party (AWP) has deemed the new proposed electoral delimitations in the federal capital as a clear case of pre-poll rigging in favour of the rich and powerful mainstream parties and against the interests of the working poor. In particular the AWP has called attention to the manner in which the vote of katchi abadi residents – which has historically been a major factor in electoral contests – has been completely divided across two constituencies, NA-53 and NA-54, and that this clearly indicates the intentions of both the bureaucracy and mainstream politicians to consolidate an already elitist system of governance and vote-buying
AWP Islamabad general secretary Nusrat Hussaid said that while the AWP has filed a petition against delimitations announced by ECP and proposed a reintegration of all katchi abadis into one constituency, the party has little expectation that its concerns will be addressed. AWP had previously stood a number of katchi abadi residents as candidates in the 2015 local body elections in Islamabad, which, it may be remembered were postponed for 6 months from July 2015 until November 2015 during which time the I-11 katchi abadi was razed to the ground, from which the AWP had expectations of standing and winning the election for Union Council Chairman. The AWP subsequently filed a case against CDA’s enforced evictions drive and the Supreme Court issued stay order on CDA’s evictions drive.
The AWP leader said that the voter turnouts have always been highest from Katchi Abadis in the capital, which have housed the city’s working population for almost fifty years. Katchi Abadis are home to sanitation workers, drivers, cooks, rehri walas, and a host of other occupational groups who ensure the daily functioning of the capital. Yet Islamabad remains one of the most elitist cities in the world, and despite the fact that the votes of katchi abadi dwellers consistently bring ruling class representatives to power, the proliferation of elite housing schemes in recent years has exposed the complete lack of concern of both the CDA and elected representatives for the shelter needs of working people in the city.
AWP has proposed an alternative delimitation map, which encapsulates major slums in NA-52 while adding equally populated areas from previously announced NA-54. AWP believes, with proposed map most of the unprivileged segments of the society will get a chance to build a force against unequal distribution of privileges in the city and provision of equal rights and responsibilities along all the classes of society