QUETTA: A multi-party alliance, the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Aain Pakistan (TTAP), has solidified its strategy for the upcoming Quetta local body elections and issued a fiery condemnation of the provincial government, accusing it of systemic failure and electoral manipulation. The decisions were made during a key meeting chaired by Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal at the PkMAP secretariat, attended by leaders from PTI, PkMAP, BNP, and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen.
The alliance formally decided to contest the December 28 polls jointly, marking a significant unified front. To organize the campaign, it will form joint committees for Town 1 (encompassing Taktu, Chiltan, Zargoon, and Sariab), with five members from each constituent party. A four-member technical committee was also established, with a separate election committee for Quetta to be announced later.
In a strongly-worded statement following the meeting, the TTAP launched a comprehensive attack on the incumbent government. It criticized the timing of the election announcement after a 13-year gap, suggesting it was deliberately set for harsh weather. The alliance alleged that the government’s current approach to the Election Commission and courts is a tactic to delay polls and prolong “the looting, illegal sale/occupation of municipal properties, and embezzlement of billions.”
The statement painted a grim picture of governance, accusing the “failed, so-called government resulting from Form 47” of crippling basic services like water, electricity, and healthcare, while fueling severe inflation and unemployment. It claimed rampant corruption and paralyzed accountability institutions.
Positioning the local elections as a referendum, the TTAP declared that the people of Quetta would “defeat and further humiliate” the government on polling day. It also warned the Election Commission to act against government ministers for allegedly participating in campaigning and announcing incentives, reserving the right to launch “democratic protest” if no action is taken.
Meanwhile the Hazara Democratic Party (HDP) Chairman Abdul Khaliq Hazara launched a fierce attack on the provincial government and mainstream political parties during a series of campaign corner meetings for the upcoming local body elections in Quetta.
Addressing supporters in Zarghun Town, Hazara stated that the province’s deteriorated condition is a direct result of the 2024 general elections, where, he alleged, “fake people like mafia and parachutists” were given representation by sidelining the genuine representatives of the people.
