Vote count underway after polling concluded in Ghotki by-polls

Police, army personnel are present inside polling stations to avoid any untoward incident

Vote count underway after polling concluded peacefully in National Assembly constituency NA-205 (Ghotki) by-election on Tuesday.

Tough competition is expected between Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Sardar Muhammad Bux Khan Mahar and independent candidate Ahmed Ali Mahar.

Over 300,000 people are expected to cast their votes after the seat fell vacant after the death of Sardar Ali Muhammad Khan Mahar who won the general election in 2018.

The police, Sindh Rangers and Pakistan Army officers are present in polling stations to avoid any untoward incident.

Nisar Khuhro – President of PPP Sindh said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) member Haleem Adil Sheikh - along with other members of parliament - are inside the polling stations and are stopping voters from entering.

He asserted that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should take notice of the alleged rigging.

All set for showdown in Ghotki by-poll today

Haleem Adil Sheikh claimed that he – along with other party members - has not been inside the polling station but PPP members Khursheed Shah, Nasir Shah, Nisar Khuhro and Anwar Siyal were inside.

The ECP in June issued a show-cause notice to Prime Minister Imran Khan for visiting Ghotki ahead of the NA-205 by-election in violation of the commission’s code of conduct.

Imran was in Ghotki on a visit that the ruling party PTI said was to condole the death of former federal minister Sardar Ali Muhammad Khan Mahar.

The notice was issued after a complaint was lodged by Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) NA-205 Ghotki-II candidate, Abdul Bari Pitafi.