Amid controversy: Squabbles, protests mar polls in some districts

QUETTA:

Although the election authorities have called the local bodies (LB) polls in Balochistan a success, the process itself has been dogged by snags and controversies.

Polling could not be held for up to 250 seats in Kech and another 80 in Awaran, according to the provincial election commissioner. Both districts are counted among the most volatile in the province.

Similarly, voting did not take place in more than 500 constituencies because no candidate had turned up to file nomination papers. In Kech, 49 councillors were elected unopposed. Of these, 40 belonged to the ruling National Party and 19 to the Balochistan National Party-Awami (BNP-A).

Election postponed in Harnai

The provincial election commissioner, Sultan Bayazeed, postponed the polls in Harnai district due to protests by an alliance of several political parties over reported flaws in the electoral lists. Protesters did not allow the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) staff to take ballet papers to the polling stations.

The protest was staged by the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazlur Rehman), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Ideological), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Awami National Party whose supporters staged a sit-in outside the returning officer’s house on Friday night.

“We have been protesting against the discriminatory attitude of the returning officer since Friday night. The names of our voters are missing from the electoral lists,” ANP politician Asad Khan Tareen told reporters. Similarly, the JUI-F, PML-N and JUI-I accused the local administration of bias and alleged that the ECP should rectify mistakes in the electoral lists.

Bayazeed took notice of the issue and sought a report from the administration. “The deputy commissioner has been asked to submit a report within two days,” he said. He added that elections have been postponed in Loralai, while a new election date for Harnai will be announced soon.

Fake Identity Cards

Frontier Corps (FC) troops baton-charged supporters of JUI (Ideological) and Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) at a polling station in Qilla Abdullah’s Chaman town. The FC resorted to baton charge after supporters from the two parties squabbled over the alleged use of fake national identity cards at Ward No. 30 polling station in Chaman.

PkMAP activists alleged that voters from the JUI-I were casting votes using fake ID cards. The verbal confrontation led to a scuffle between the two sides. Paramilitary troops baton-charged the squabbling activists to bring the situation under control.

Appreciation for Army

Acting Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice Nasirul Mulk commended the role of the army and other security agencies for the peaceful conduct of LB elections in Balochistan. “Adequate security measures put in place by the army and other security agencies gave voters confidence to come out and use their right to vote,” he said during his visit to Election Supporting Cell established in the Southern Command in Quetta.

Justice Mulk said the LG elections in Balochistan were peaceful as compared to the 2013 general elections. “It was only because of the close coordination between security agencies, government and Election Commission, which motivated people to cast ballots without fear and strengthen the democratic values,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 8^th, 2013.