Re: Infrastructure & Development Projects: Pakistan
You can call all of Pakistan racist for sake of Karachi. But it is not a coincidence that the only place in Pakistan where racism proudly meets politics is Karachi. Are you really going to deny that MQM’s racist election campaigns that always does the trick? It is also not a coincidence that the only place where political competition is vehemently and violently opposed on racial and territorial line is Karachi. Of course KPK and Punjab too are also part of the same Pakistan and are more rural, more tribal, more backward with high illiteracy rate than Karachi. So its self explanatory that people there do indeed vote along the lines of tribalism, but both provinces despite their inherent shortcomings has a long tradition of accepting political competition and embracing leaders belonging to different ethnic groups - that reflects their ultimate potential to rise above ethnic slogans. Imran is a Punjab resident who doesn’t speak a word of Pashto, but I have never seen him get racially abused in KPK no matter how nasty ANP gets in their opposition. But the only place where he was racially abused in front of a roaring crowd is Karachi. I know you hate Imran, but do you condemn the racist and xenophobic opposition he receives in Karachi? (yes I know people in Karachi come out to see him as well)
Interesting that you mentioned Nabeel Gabol. Do you know who Nabeel Gabol gives credit to to his win - MQM’s thappa mafia! In his own words, he doesn’t know how he got that many votes, MQM told him to go to sleep, and leave everything on them, and he’ll wake up as the winner in the morning. These are Nabeel Gabol’s own words. But what about the thrashing PTI’s non Muhajir Imran Ismail got in NA246 just when Saulat Mirza and Baldia Town confessions were pouring in? The recent elections in NA246 has to be the fairest elections in the history of Pakistan where Rangers were standing on every nook and corner of that area.
I don’t know how racist are some of other communities in Karachi, but the only party ruling Karachi with a iron fist is a Muhajir party. They only acknowledge and appeal to their Muhajir vote bank, and whoever wins that Muhajir vote bank rules Karachi. The ANP in the name of ethnicity did get more seats than PTI, and that just shows, had PTI bothered selling the chooran of Muhajirpan or Pashunism - they too would’ve been in a much better position. But the party and it leader are vehemently hated or just simply ignored in Karachi because they are non violent and have no ethnic slogans to sell to appeal to any particular community except Defence/Clifton ‘burgers’.
As with NA250 seat of PTI. That was a win after a long struggled recount. PTI in the process lost one of its founding members and innocent workers before getting that seat back - that’s the price they had to pay to get their foot in Karachi. Defence/Clifton doesn’t even represent 5% of Karachi.