FAFEN’s report also stated that the election commission staff did not have adequate material to carry out the voting process. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/EXPRESS
The Fair and Free Election Network (Fafen), an election watchdog, monitored the by-elections by deploying 76 trained and non-partisan observers — 50 male and 26 female — to observe the proceedings at 282 polling stations established for PS-22 in Naushero Feroz and Karachi's PS-106 in Azizabad and PS-117 in PIB Colony.
Fafen then compiled a report comprising information collected from 123 polling stations from where data was made available on election day.
The by-election for the Naushero Feroz seat, won by a Pakistan Peoples' Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) lawmaker in the 2013 general election, was ordered by a Supreme Court order, while the Karachi constituencies fell vacant after Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) lawmakers resigned to join the Pak Sarzameen Party.
A total of 14 candidates contested for PS-106, with three belonging to political parties and 11 contesting as independent candidates. According to election commission results, MQM's Mahfooz Yar Khan won in PS-106 and MQM's Syed Muhammad Qamar Abbas bagged the seat in PS-117, defeating the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and other candidates. Meanwhile, Dr Abdul Sattar Rajper of the PPP won the polls in Naushero Feroz, defeating Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Arif Mustafa Jatoi.
According to the report, private armed personnel were seen roaming in party camps established near the polling stations and election staff lacked adequate election material required to carry out the voting process.
Fafen reported 360 instances of illegal campaigning in and around the polling stations. "Armed civilians were seen to be present inside party camps established around 13 polling stations in PS-22 Naushero Feroz. Meanwhile, the election authorities appeared to be in control in terms of elimination of illegal party camps in Karachi constituencies where only six polling stations were reported to have illegal camps around, as compared to 19 such camps in Naushero Feroz," read the report.
It added that the number of voters registered for PS-22 witnessed an increase of 12% between Thursday's by-election and the general election in 2013. This ratio was lower for Karachi's constituencies — 6% for PS-106 and 4% for PS-117.
For his part, provincial election commissioner Tanveer Zaki said that election arrangements are made with the help of the local administration, which is responsible for maintaining law and order and ensuring the implementation of the code of conduct. "We had devised the code of conduct to not allow any private person carrying weapons near the polling stations. It is the responsibility of police and law enforcers, as well as local administration to implement it," he said.
The political parties blamed, however, each other for violating the code of conduct. PPP's Dr Rajper said that they followed the code of conduct and no worker or leader from his party were among the violators of the rules.
The same response came from PML-N's Jatoi. "We are peaceful people and the ruling PPP has once again hijacked the polls with the help of the local administration," he accused.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 4th, 2016.
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