The curious case of voter lists

Some Malir residents run from pillar to post to cast their vote

KARACHI: Sweat streams down from their foreheads as three elderly women walk anxiously between Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) camp office and the polling station set up at Monotechnic Institute in Urdu Nagar, Malir. According to them, they have come to cast their votes but their names are not in the voter lists.

"Each vote has its importance," said one of the women, Zaitoon Bibi. "But it seems like our votes have been wasted."

Voter turnout at PS-127 was relatively low on Thursday, with no presiding officer reporting a turnout of over 35%.

A number of voters complained about discrepancies in the lists available with the camp offices and the presiding officers. These discrepancies pertained to absence of name and incorrect CNICs, among others.

"I cast my vote in this polling station in the last election," said Abid Khan as he held a piece of paper with his registration number, which he got through a text message.

One woman, Z*, was extremely upset over being unable to cast her vote since 8am. "If I am not allowed to vote, I will fly a kite and announce that my vote belongs to anyone who finds my kite," she said.

Talking about the problematic voter lists, an MQM activist at the camp, Ehtisham Khan, said their voters are suffering. "Even those whose names are there in the list, their CNIC numbers are wrong or booth numbers have been changed," he said, adding that many lists were destroyed MQM's camp office was twice dismantled since morning.

"The Sindh government has posted their own presiding officers who are misguiding the voters," said opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly, Khawaja Izharul Hassan, who reached the camp. "Some 40 to 50 goons are threatening people outside. This is planned, administrative rigging."

At the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) camp office in Dawood Goth, worker Abdul Qayoom also had his share of complaints. He said that their voters are unable to cast their votes as the polling stations are at inaccessible locations, blaming the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and MQM for this.

According to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf activists at their camp office in the area, they faced problems with voter lists as the ones they claim to have received from the ECP are different from the ones given to the presiding officers. Nevertheless, the presiding officer at the polling station in the area, Aftab Farooqi, claimed that no discrepancies were reported in his area.

Provincial election commissioner Tanveer Zaki said that the confusion of voter lists may have been a result of ignorance as the voter lists for local government elections are different from those of the provincial government elections. "ECP had set up a complaint cell, which, if contacted, could have helped such voters," he said.

Proactive women

A few women barged into the polling station at Monotechnic Institute. "We came in the morning but the list did not have our names," said A*. Then Rangers helped us."

Another woman, S*, said that her brother, Naeem Baig, was standing with voter lists in MQM's camp and was beaten up in the morning. "But now that he is fine, I have come to cast my vote."

Similarly, two women entered the polling station breathing heavily. According to them, they were not sure who they were going to vote for but were happy to finally have found out where their vote was registered. "All of the candidates are ours," said B*. When asked if the violence that ensued outside the polling station in the morning affected them, she said that votes must be cast in any case. "Ziada se ziada goli lag jaye gi, mar jayain gay na [The worst possibility is that a bullet would kill us]," she asserted.

All set to cast their votes at the polling station in Dawood Goth, Noor Bano, Shakila and Jan Bibi, who identified as Baloch, said they have been voting for 'Bhutto' all their life, and vowed to continue to do so. "They will bring change," said Shakila , the youngest.

*Names withheld to protect identities

Published in The Express Tribune, September 9^th, 2016.