PTI Key to Wahab’s Fate in No-Trust Move

By Our Correspondent

KARACHI: The role of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is once again seen as decisive in the success or failure of the no-confidence move against Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, as political maneuvering intensifies within the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).
Political observers say the opposition’s ability to unseat the mayor largely depends on PTI’s unified stance. Even a minor shift in its councilors’ voting pattern could alter the outcome of the proposed no-trust motion.
In the June 2023 mayoral election, Mr Wahab had secured 173 votes to clinch the top slot, while his rival Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) managed to get 160 votes. The 367-member City Council of the KMC at the time comprised 366 union council members, as the result of one union council was still pending.
Although Wahab won the contest, opposition parties maintain that his victory was made possible due to indirect support from PTI dissidents. According to PTI sources, 32 party councilors abstained from voting during the mayoral election, weakening the opposition’s numerical strength at a critical moment and effectively tilting the balance. Now, as JI and other opposition groups prepare to table a no-confidence motion, PTI’s internal cohesion is again under scrutiny.