Every vote counts: Police aren’t exercising their voting rights

Officials say they weren’t aware of voting through postal ballots and missed the deadline.

KARACHI: “I don’t care who wins the elections. I have been in the police department for the last 28 years, but I have never cast a vote because of my professional duties,” a DSP in Sindh police told The Express Tribune. “For as long as I have been serving, I have not seen a single police chief show an interest in making sure that policemen cast their votes in the general elections.”

More than 90,000 police personnel have been stationed across the province, out of which 40,000 have been deployed in Karachi.

For its part, the Election Commission of Pakistan had made arrangements for law enforcers, polling staff and others to cast their vote through postal ballots by May 3. Bur many officials were unaware of this option. “The police department focuses on our election duties, not on our votes,” said another officer. “Nobody from my department asked me to cast the vote.”

According to Tariq Ali, who has been deputed at the polling station near the Aziz Bhatti police station, at least 600 police personnel have been called to Karachi from Larkana and Qamber Shahdadkot districts. “Not a single cop has cast his vote so far.”

Majority of the policemen in Karachi, however, are registered in the city. But their chances of casting votes on the day of the elections are slim due to their duties.

“The date for postal ballots has passed and it won’t be easy casting votes today (May 11) as law enforcers in uniform are not allowed inside the polling stations,” said an inspector. “The other problem is the distance between our place of duty and our polling station. ”

Ones who kept up

Other security forces, such as the Rangers and army personnel in Karachi, have been comparatively more proactive and most have cast their votes through postal ballots. Around 10,000 Rangers personnel have been deployed in Karachi to maintain the law and order situation.  “Our jawans have already cast votes,” said a Rangers official.

Similarly, army troops in Karachi have already voted through postal ballots. “The process for postal ballots started around ten days ago in the army,” said ISPR’s Karachi spokesperson.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2013.