KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan will contest the elections from the commercial capital, giving hope to his party’s leadership that his campaign will increase PTI’s popularity in the most densely populated city of Pakistan, which has the maximum number of urban constituencies.
“Khan Sahib can win any seat in Karachi,” Dr. Arif Alvi, PTI’s central leader, told Arab News.
He confirmed that the PTI chief was planning to contest the election from five National Assembly constituencies, and one of them was going to be from Karachi.
The party’s top leader in the city, Firdous Shamim Naqvi, announced at a workers’ meeting in Azizabad on Monday that Khan would contest the 2018 polls from the southern port city, adding that it was most likely going to be a seat from the central district.
“The constituency that will stand out during our membership drive will win Khan’s candidature,” Naqvi told Arab News, adding that 2,000 new members had registered with PTI from the central district.
The area has traditionally been a Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) stronghold. The MQM has won all national and provincial assembly seats from the district since its inception. More recently, the party won 50 out of 51 union committees in the local government elections on Dec. 5, 2013. However the situation may have changed as MQM has fragmented in recent months.
“The party is divided into several factions. Most central district residents belong to the educated class who don’t like the Pakistan People’s Party for its corrupt practices. Other than that, the establishment wouldn’t allow Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to win. In such a scenario, we can win any seat from here,” Naqvi said.
Independent analysts, however, believe that the PTI leadership may be taking an optimistic view of the situation. Talking to Arab News, Mazhar Abbas, a senior political commentator, said: “It is a highly challenging decision to field Imran Khan from central district, which has traditionally been a stronghold of the MQM and Jamaat-e-Islami.”
Abbas said that it would be better for PTI to field it chairman from NA-250, where Arif Alvi won the last election, or from district west, where the party is popular with the Pashtun community. He said that Khan could also win from district central if his party made an election arrangement with MQM’s splinter group, Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP).
However, Arif Alvi ruled out any alliance with PSP. “We are not going to form an alliance with them,” he told Arab News.
Meanwhile, a senior leader of another MQM faction, Faisal Sabzwari, said that PTI did not have a significant chance in Karachi.
“The MQM split may damage our own party, but it will not benefit Khan since the two political factions have totally different vote banks,” he said.
“In the 2013 elections,” he added, “PTI bagged nearly 0.8 million votes from Karachi, but it could not retain them.”
“Khan’s attention to Karachi is seasonal,” Sabzwari told Arab News, adding: “The residents of this city will never be generous to a party that is playing seasonal politics.”
PTI party backs Imran Khan to contest elections from Karachi constituency
PTI party backs Imran Khan to contest elections from Karachi constituency
Pakistan launches digital cash aid for low-income families during Ramadan, PM says
- Ramadan relief moves from state-run Utility Stores to targeted digital wallet transfers
- Government to transfer financial assistance through wallets to support sehri, iftar expenses
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will provide financial assistance to low-income households through digital wallets during the fasting month of Ramadan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday, announcing a government relief initiative aimed at helping families afford daily meals.
The support program comes as many Pakistanis continue to face elevated food and utility costs despite easing inflation, with Ramadan traditionally increasing household spending on staple foods, fruits and energy consumption.
For decades, government-run Utility Stores Corporation outlets were central to Ramadan relief in Pakistan, selling subsidized flour, sugar, ghee and pulses through special “Ramzan packages” that drew long queues in low-income neighborhoods. In recent years, however, authorities have steadily scaled back the system amid mounting losses, corruption complaints and logistical inefficiencies, shifting instead toward targeted cash transfers delivered through digital wallets and banking channels.
The change reflects a broader policy move away from state-managed commodity distribution toward direct financial assistance intended to give households flexibility while reducing leakages in subsidy programs.
“The Government of Pakistan has launched a Ramadan package under which financial assistance will be transferred to deserving individuals through digital wallets so that households can maintain sehri and iftar meals,” Sharif said in a message issued by his office.
The prime minister said Ramadan encourages compassion and collective responsibility toward vulnerable segments of society, adding that welfare support was part of the state’s duty during the holy month.
Officials say the digital cash transfers approach improves transparency and reduces corruption risks while enabling faster payments nationwide, particularly in urban low-income communities.
But the shift to fully digital assistance also brings challenges.
Access to smartphones and reliable mobile Internet remains uneven, particularly in rural areas and among older recipients, while many low-income households use SIM cards registered to someone else, complicating verification.
