KARACHI: The ruling Pakistan Peoples Party has failed to get any candidate on four union committees (UCs) of its traditional stronghold Lyari, it emerged on Tuesday.

There are total 15 UCs in Lyari and the PPP, which had won all three national and provincial assembly seats in the area in the 2013 general elections, has not put up any candidate for chairman, vice chairman and general councillor on four UCs Liaquat Colony (UC-3), Nayabad (UC4), Khadda Market (UC-5) and Moosa Lane (UC-6).

A source said that the PPP held many meetings to find candidates within Lyari and elders of the Niazis, Kachhis,Baloch and Laasi clans agreed to put forward their candidates for 11 of the 15 UCs for the Dec 5 local government elections.

But, the source said, the candidates from UC-3, 4 and5 Liaquat Colony, Nayabad and Khadda Market were worried about `angering the Lalas [gangsters]` operating in their areas if they contested the LG elections on a PPP ticket.

So they decided to contest the LG elections as independent candidates, the source added.

The source said: `Candidates from other areas had the same issue but they were taken on board after through discussions and meetings. But the candidates from the four UCs decided tomove back despite a lot of assurances by the PPP.

The PPP held discussions and had almost entered into a seat-adjustment agreement with the Jamaat-i-Islami, until the religio-political party backed off and instead announced a seat-adjustment deal with the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

However, the source said that the PPP had agreed upon a seat-adjustment plan with the JI as well as the PTI in others UCs across the city, `which might work out` When contacted, PPP`s Karachi chief Najme Alam tried to downplay his party`s performance as he said the PPP had not allotted its election symbol to any candidate in the four UCs in Lyari.

`Our candidates are part ofapanelcontestingelection on UC-6 in Moosa Lane on the symbol of the Awami National Party, while we have alliances with the panels on three other UCs where our candidates are vying on the symbols other than the party`s,` he said.

He claimed that they would support the PPP if they won the election.

The PPP has been losing grip on Lyari since the formation of the Peoples Amn Committee (PAC) after the 2008 general elections.

The now outlawed PAC gainedcontrolofLyariandin 2013 it forced the PPP to give party ticl