By Farhan Afsar
Islamabad – In what is perhaps an already decided battle, two men with apparently different political styles are competing to become the capital’s first-ever mayor.
Members of the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) will vote to elect the city’s mayor on 15 February. The IMC consists of chairmen of the 50 union councils (UCs) of Islamabad and 27 members elected to seats reserved for women, youth, non-Muslims, and technocrats.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is believed to have just over 45 votes, including UC chairmen and reserved seat members, to support its mayoral campaign. Its main rival party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaf (PTI), is believed to have nearly 30 votes in support.
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The PML-N has nominated businessman Sheikh Anser Aziz for mayor while the PTI has fielded Raja Khurram Nawaz, a landowner and property dealer.
Mr. Nawaz was elected chairman from UC-8 Tumair, a village on the eastern outskirts of Islamabad, in the local government elections held on 30 November 2015. Mr. Aziz joined the IMC on the lone reserved seat for technocrats, voted in by the elected chairmen of the union councils, not directly by the public. However, with the PML-N mayoral ticket, Mr. Aziz is the current favourite to win the mayor’s election.
Pakistan Ink reached out to both candidates to find out their plans for the federal capital.
The Challenger
PTI candidate Mr. Nawaz, 41, said Islamabad is the city of his forefathers.
“My whole family tree can be traced in Islamabad, right to the beginning,” he said.
Mr. Nawaz described himself as a “small landowner”, putting emphasis on the word “small”. He said his income is mostly based on the rent he receives from inherited property.
“Apart from that, like most people in Islamabad I have a small property business,” Mr. Nawaz said.
Although he said his family has been active at the UC-level for a long time, he entered politics in 2010-11.
“My party showed confidence in me because of my active participation in their activities, dharna and everything,” he told Pakistan Ink. “I’ve served as the PTI general secretary for Islamabad region.”
A resident of rural Islamabad himself, Mr. Nawaz stressed the need of reducing disparity between rural areas and urban sectors.
“Both areas need to have the same facilities,” he said.
Mr. Nawaz said water is Islamabad’s greatest problem.
“The people of this city need access to clean (drinking) water,” he said.
In response to a question regarding the extent of authority of the capital’s mayor, Nawaz said it was yet unclear.
“I do wish they (the members of the IMC) get the powers of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the district administration,” he said. “The people from the grassroots level can handle it better.”
Before the local government set-up, the CDA looked after municipal issues in urban Islamabad while the district administration was responsible for utilities and services in the rural areas of the district.
The Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act 2015 states that CDA will continue to be solely responsible for the development, planning and overall maintenance of Islamabad’s master plan and the existing laws of the Islamabad Capital Territory will prevail over the local government act in case of a clash.
Almost certainly facing defeat due to the PML-N’s majority in the IMC, Mr. Nawaz had only bitter words for his rivals. It is unjust for the people of Islamabad, he said, that someone from Sargodha has been picked for mayor merely because of personal proximity to the top PML-N leadership.
“It renders the representation from local body elections in Islamabad null and void,” he said. “The PML-N would have been better off nominating one of their chairmen.”
The Favourite
The two candidates could not be more different. While Mr. Nawaz spoke at length about the upcoming election, PML-N’s mayoral candidate Mr. Aziz turned out be a man of few words.
After four days of trying to reach Mr. Aziz, he finally responded to a request to interview him. In the brief conversation, his responses were measured with a business-like tone.
Mr. Aziz, 53, was quick to counter allegations of being an outsider to Islamabad’s politics.
“My whole education, nursery onwards, was completed in Pindi and Islamabad,” he said.
Mr. Aziz said he has been involved in politics for over 30 years besides being in the construction and development business. A member of PMLN’s central working committee since 2012, he said he was chosen for mayor because he stood with the party through good and bad times.
But that’s not all.
“They (the party leadership) know the qualities I possess,” Mr. Aziz said. “They know what good I can do as mayor of the city.”
He did not give much away when he talked about the authority given to Islamabad’s mayor.
“The mayor’s powers are listed in our local government act,” Mr. Aziz said. “God willing, I’ll get all of these powers.”
He said that the local government system aims to improve citizens’ access to their representative.
“The Members of the National Assembly are responsible for such a large area,” he said. “Regardless of how well they would like to do, they cannot deal properly with everyone.”
Mr. Aziz said with grassroots representatives, the citizens would be able to get what they want done.
Not revealing much of his plan of action, he spoke in general terms about the problems of the capital.
“The problems are in front of you,” Mr. Aziz said.
He said he considered the sanitation situation in the city to be the most alarming. Parks, streets, street lights and roads all need attention, he said. Mr. Aziz said he will follow-up on these issues if he gets elected as mayor.
“This city is an asset,” he said. “I’ll make Islamabad a better place.”
PAKISTAN INK 
Beautifully written, Farhan.