Voters choose next rulers

Wheelchair-bound, specially-abled, blind people also seen at polling stations

RAWALPINDI: People of Rawalpindi district participated in the process of electing new rulers for the next five years amidst tight, foolproof security.

Polling commenced at 8am and concluded at 6pm without any major unpleasant incident. Political workers belonging to different parties clashed in many constituencies and polling was delayed as some polling stations didn’t have the requisite ballot papers.

The polling day also saw blind, elderly, specially-abled and wheelchair-bound people coming out to exercise their right to vote. In case of blind people, the polling officers allowed relatives to assist them inside the polling booths.

In one instance, a 95-year old came to cast his vote on the shoulders of his son at Muslim Higher Secondary School polling station.

Pleasant weather

Unlike Tuesday, the weather was pleasant with an overcast sky and cool breeze blowing to keep the voters fresh. The sun did pop out from the clouds between 1pm and 2pm, making people standing in queues to sweat and seek shade. The afternoon hours saw a lull in voting amid hot and humid weather, some breaks for lunch and prayer.



However, after 4pm the number of voters started to increase, causing long queues outside the polling stations. The first timers were the most excited and energetic among the voters. Brimming with youthful energy they were at the booths to cast ballots in the slots of the boxes for the first time.

Camping for polls

It is ritual of political parties to set up camps for facilitating the voters to find their polling station and booths. These camps witnessed hustle and bustle of people and volunteers throughout  the day.

Psychologically poised for victory, the PTI youth had set up camp at around 7:30am at least half-an-hour before the start of polling. However, the PPP and PML-N activists did not show up at the polling camps till 9am and later.



Candidates were also seen visiting their polling camps and kept bringing food for the polling staff and their polling agents. The Tehreek-e-Labbaik camps were few and far between in the city. The most number of polling camps belonged to PML-N and PTI, where volunteers remained throughout the day.

Candidates made sure that any intending voter should not be left behind for want of transport. They had engaged taxis and pick-ups to shuttle voters from their homes to the polling stations and back.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th, 2018.