KARACHI: Less than three weeks before the general elections, Arslan Khalid, an independent candidate affiliated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in NA-248, was among 10 individuals injured in an attack on a “Mehfil-e-Milad” event in Karachi.
In the First Information Report (FIR) filed at Azizabad Police Station, Khalid reported organizing the “Mehfil-e-Milad” on behalf of PTI at his plot in Federal B Area’s Azizabad. According to Khalid, around 100 to 200 unidentified masked men entered the plot at 12:30 am and attacked him and his companions with punches, kicks, and batons. Khalid sustained head injuries and was taken to Abbassi Shaheed Hospital for treatment.
A PTI spokesperson attributed the attack to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and called on the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the caretaker Sindh government to take strict action against the perpetrators.
Meanwhile, Khawaja Sohail Mansoor, a candidate from Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) in NA-250, accused MQM-P of attacking his party’s election offices in areas falling under NA-250 and PS-129.
Violence during election campaigns is not uncommon, and political parties often blame each other or militant groups for such incidents. Earlier in the month, PTI leader Shah Khalid was shot dead in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swabi district, and an independent candidate, Kaleemullah Khan, was killed in North Waziristan. Additionally, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) candidate for NA-258, Aslam Buledi, sustained injuries in a firing incident in Turbat City.
These incidents of violence occur against the backdrop of the upcoming February 8 general elections, as the country hopes to address issues such as political turmoil, terrorism, and economic challenges. Notably, former National Assembly member and National Democratic Movement (NDM) leader Mohsin Dawar’s convoy also faced a gun attack by terrorists in Tappi village earlier in the month.
