Constitutional right: Places where luminaries cast their ballot

Leaders of political parties, army chief, CJP, CEC use their right of vote.

QUETTA/ ISLAMABAD/ LAHORE/ KARACHI:

Where the country on Saturday saw 42% young voters casting their ballot for the very first time, Pakistan also witnessed its prominent figures exercising their constitutional right to voting.

PML-N

Casting his vote at the Government Technology College Railway Road’s polling station in NA-119 and PP-142, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif said he was sure of his party’s victory. He told reporters that if voted to power he would unite all the political forces and draft a strategy to “bring Pakistan on the road to prosperity.”

Former chief minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif cast his vote at the Model High School Model Town of NA-126. Emerging from the polling booth, he expressed the hope that his party would win a clear majority. Chaudhry Nisar, another prominent PML-N leader, cast his vote in his native town of Chakri.

PPP

Former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf cast his vote in the home constituency NA-51 of Gujjar Khan. Yousaf Raza Gilani’s family, still protesting against the election commission’s code of conduct which they allege led to Ali Haider Gilani’s abduction, cast their votes in the Hamid pur Kanora’s polling station of NA-152.

The chairman of the party, Bilawal Bhutto Zadrari, however, seemed missing from action. When contacted the spokesperson of Bilawal House stated that they were not aware if he cast his vote. The co-chairman was to cast his vote through postal ballot. President Zardari, Bakhtawar Bhutto and Aseefa Bhutto cast their votes earlier through postal ballot.

Other luminaries

Vice chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf Shah Mehmood Qureshi cast his vote in the NA-148 constituency of Multan. JUI-F’s Fazlur Rehman cast his ballot in the NA-25 of D I Khan.

Asfandyar Wali Khan and Ghulam Ahmed Bilour of Awami National Party (ANP) cast their votes in NA-7 and NA-1, respectively. Meanwhile, the head of BNP-M Sardar Akhtar Mengal cast his vote in his area polling station in Wadh High School.

One of the main contenders for NA-55, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed cast his vote at the Government Boys High School Zia-ul-Aloom, Raja Bazar. The Awami Muslim League leader praised the electoral body, saying it had made all the efforts for transparent and smooth conduct of elections.

Prominent Figures

The man behind the effort of holding one of the biggest polls in the nation’s history, CEC Justice (retd) Fakharuddin G Ebrahim cast his vote in Defense Karachi. He described elections as the `victory of democracy’ and urged every voter to play their part in the electoral exercise. “Our future is in democracy. Let every Pakistani cast their vote. If the good people will not cast their vote, bad people will win,” he said.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry cast his vote at Railway Accounts Academy polling station in Quetta. Speaking to reporters, he said that the conduct of elections is the proof that there is the rule of law in the country.

Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani exercised his constitutional right to vote and cast his ballot in Rawalpindini for NA-54.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2013.