PML-N triumphs
PTI emerges as 2nd biggest winner, followed by MQM; PPP performs dismally
PTI emerges as 2nd biggest winner, followed by MQM; PPP performs dismally. PHOTO: AFP
QUETTA/PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD/HYDERABAD/LAHORE/KARACHI:
The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf made the biggest gains in Saturday’s cantonment board elections which were held amidst tight security in the country after nearly 17 years.
By and large, the polling went peacefully, with few incidents of minor scuffles between supporters of the PML-N and its political arch nemesis – PTI of Imran Khan.
Overall, the turnout was decent but low, though it peaked in different places and stood at well over 60 per cent.
The PML-N triumphed over its rivals, winning 68 of the 199 seats up for grabs, according to unofficial results collated from different sources. The PTI emerged as the second biggest winner with 42 seats followed by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which clinched 19 seats. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which used to be a federal party, performed dismally, winning only seven seats from across the country only edging past the politico-religious Jamaat-e-Islami which clinched six seats. The Awami National Party of Asfandyar Wali could muster only two seats.
Interestingly, independent candidates came out as the second largest winners in the LG elections in the cantonment areas of the country as they won 55 seats from across the country. The ruling PML-N performed very well in its powerbase Punjab, while the MQM proved its strength in its strongholds of Karachi and Hyderabad. Imran Khan’s party, on the other hand, not only clinched seats from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where it is in power, but also from Punjab.
In Rawalpindi, the garrison city which has five cantonment areas, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and its arch rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had a pitched battle with the PML-N winning 19 out of the 20 wards at Rawalpindi and Chaklala cantonments. One seat in Chaklala was bagged by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI)
The PTI, on the other hand, won at both the wards in Taxila cantonment and five out of the 10 wards in Wah cantonment area. The ruling PML-N won four seats in Wah with an independent candidate securing the remaining seat there.
Polling opened at 8am and continued till 5pm without break, under the watchful gaze of soldiers deployed in and around the polling stations. The military was given magisterial powers to supervise the polling process. Voters were not allowed to carry mobile phones to the polling stations.
Most people reportedly stayed within the confines of their homes because of the high temperature. At some polling stations though the turnout crossed the 60 per cent mark.
Police in Rawalpindi arrested four workers of the PTI outside FG Higher Secondary School in Westridge for playing party songs and taking out a small rally. Ajmal Pathan, a PML-N worker, was also arrested for firing in Rawalpindi Cantt ward-1.
The electoral battle in the two cantonment areas of Lahore was dominated by the PML-N, which won in 14 out of the 20 wards in its two – Lahore and Walton – cantonment board areas. According to unofficial results, PTI candidates emerged as winners in five wards while an independent candidate also won a seat.
Earlier, there was a lot of activity and excitement at the camps set up by political parties, especially the PTI and the PML-N. At least eight people were also reported injured in a shooting incident in a ward of Walton cantonment board. The injured were taken to the Lahore General Hospital and an inquiry was launched into the incident on the directives of the Punjab chief minister.
At Multan and Okara cantonments, independent candidates won nine out of the total 15 seats.
At Okara cantonment, where a total of 41 candidates were in the race for five seats – independent contestants trumped all the major political parties and their candidates. The PTI, the PML-N and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) failed to win a single seat. In Multan cantonment, the PTI and PML-N secured three seats each. The remaining four were won by independent candidates.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In K-P, where Imran Khan’s party runs the provincial government, the LG elections were held at 32 wards of its 11 cantonment areas where the majority of seats (14) were bagged by independent candidates.
Out of the five seats in Peshawar cantonment, two were won by the PTI, one each by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and the PPP, while one seat was won by an independent candidate.
No polling activity was carried out in Cherat cantonment as independent candidates Amir Hussain and Farooq were both elected unopposed in the respective wards.
As many as 23 candidates participated in the polls in Nowshera, with the PTI and Awami National Party (ANP) fielding candidates in all four wards. The PTI candidates won two of the seats, one of the seat was won by ANP while and one seat was bagged by an independent candidate.
At Risalpur, the PTI and the JI clinched one seat each, while an independent candidate won at its third ward.
In Abbottabad, ballots were cast for nine seats which were contested by 39 candidates across the three cantonment boards – Abbottabad, Havelian and Murree Gallies – of the district.
According to unofficial results, PTI won four seats out of nine, while the PML-N could clinch only one seat. Four seats were bagged by independent candidates.
A high voter turnout was seen in Bannu cantonment as eight candidates competed for two wards. Several voters were turned back for carrying invalid identity documents.
Police had set up a special control room to monitor the balloting process in Kohat cantonment. The DPO also visited the polling stations numerous times to oversee the arrangements.
Balochistan
In Balochistan, independent candidates bagged the majority of seats in cantonment board elections. At least 38 candidates contested in the cantonment board elections for five wards of the provincial capital and two of Loralai.
Out of these seven seats, five seats were bagged by independents while the PML-N and Ittehad Panel could clinch only one seat each. Two independent candidates were elected unopposed at Zhob cantonment.
Polling kicked off at 8 am simultaneously at 22 polling stations in the provincial capital and 4 in Loralai. Strict security measures were adopted with the deployment of Pakistan Army troops in different wards.
Karachi
In Sindh, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) stood out as the major political force during Saturday’s LG polls at the provinces cantonment areas.
In Karachi, the MQM won eight seats at Faisal cantonment, while the PML-N won two seats. There were a total of ten wards in the cantonment.
At Clifton cantonment – which also has ten wards – the PTI won five seats, the PPP won three seats, while the MQM won two seats and the JI picked up one seat.
At Karachi cantonment, which has five wards, the MQM won three seats while two independent candidates also succeeded in getting elected.
At Malir Cantonment, the MQM won two seats and the PML-N managed to bag one seat. At Manora cantonment, two independent candidates were declared winners.Manora cantonment has two wards.
At Korangi Cantonment, the election was held only in one of its two seats , which was one by the PML-N candidate.
During the LG polls in Karachi questions were raised over the transparency of polls as the board’s officials did not allow independent observers, media to enter the premises of polling stations.
A lot of eligible voters did not even know that the elections were taking place in their areas, as the political parties paid little attention to the contest. The turnout in all cantonment areas of Karachi was from 15 to 20 per cent.
Hyderabad
The MQM emerged as victor in the local government elections on 10 wards of the Hyderabad cantonment board, bagging six seats according to unofficial results. Already the party’s candidates were unopposed from two wards, three and eight, after other parties’ candidates withdrew from the race.
The PPP secured three seats while one seat went to an independent candidate.
A total of 32,406 people were registered to vote in the eight wards. However, the turnout remained low. The MQM candidates won from wards two, five, nine and ten while the PPP candidates were elected from the wards one and six.
The vote count in the wards nine and ten, where the number of voters is higher than the rest of the wards, was yet to complete. The MQM candidates are reportedly far ahead of their opponents in the PPP.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 26th, 2015.
The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf made the biggest gains in Saturday’s cantonment board elections which were held amidst tight security in the country after nearly 17 years.
By and large, the polling went peacefully, with few incidents of minor scuffles between supporters of the PML-N and its political arch nemesis – PTI of Imran Khan.
Overall, the turnout was decent but low, though it peaked in different places and stood at well over 60 per cent.
The PML-N triumphed over its rivals, winning 68 of the 199 seats up for grabs, according to unofficial results collated from different sources. The PTI emerged as the second biggest winner with 42 seats followed by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which clinched 19 seats. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which used to be a federal party, performed dismally, winning only seven seats from across the country only edging past the politico-religious Jamaat-e-Islami which clinched six seats. The Awami National Party of Asfandyar Wali could muster only two seats.
Interestingly, independent candidates came out as the second largest winners in the LG elections in the cantonment areas of the country as they won 55 seats from across the country. The ruling PML-N performed very well in its powerbase Punjab, while the MQM proved its strength in its strongholds of Karachi and Hyderabad. Imran Khan’s party, on the other hand, not only clinched seats from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where it is in power, but also from Punjab.
In Rawalpindi, the garrison city which has five cantonment areas, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and its arch rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had a pitched battle with the PML-N winning 19 out of the 20 wards at Rawalpindi and Chaklala cantonments. One seat in Chaklala was bagged by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI)
The PTI, on the other hand, won at both the wards in Taxila cantonment and five out of the 10 wards in Wah cantonment area. The ruling PML-N won four seats in Wah with an independent candidate securing the remaining seat there.
Polling opened at 8am and continued till 5pm without break, under the watchful gaze of soldiers deployed in and around the polling stations. The military was given magisterial powers to supervise the polling process. Voters were not allowed to carry mobile phones to the polling stations.
Most people reportedly stayed within the confines of their homes because of the high temperature. At some polling stations though the turnout crossed the 60 per cent mark.
Police in Rawalpindi arrested four workers of the PTI outside FG Higher Secondary School in Westridge for playing party songs and taking out a small rally. Ajmal Pathan, a PML-N worker, was also arrested for firing in Rawalpindi Cantt ward-1.
The electoral battle in the two cantonment areas of Lahore was dominated by the PML-N, which won in 14 out of the 20 wards in its two – Lahore and Walton – cantonment board areas. According to unofficial results, PTI candidates emerged as winners in five wards while an independent candidate also won a seat.
Earlier, there was a lot of activity and excitement at the camps set up by political parties, especially the PTI and the PML-N. At least eight people were also reported injured in a shooting incident in a ward of Walton cantonment board. The injured were taken to the Lahore General Hospital and an inquiry was launched into the incident on the directives of the Punjab chief minister.
At Multan and Okara cantonments, independent candidates won nine out of the total 15 seats.
At Okara cantonment, where a total of 41 candidates were in the race for five seats – independent contestants trumped all the major political parties and their candidates. The PTI, the PML-N and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) failed to win a single seat. In Multan cantonment, the PTI and PML-N secured three seats each. The remaining four were won by independent candidates.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In K-P, where Imran Khan’s party runs the provincial government, the LG elections were held at 32 wards of its 11 cantonment areas where the majority of seats (14) were bagged by independent candidates.
Out of the five seats in Peshawar cantonment, two were won by the PTI, one each by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and the PPP, while one seat was won by an independent candidate.
No polling activity was carried out in Cherat cantonment as independent candidates Amir Hussain and Farooq were both elected unopposed in the respective wards.
As many as 23 candidates participated in the polls in Nowshera, with the PTI and Awami National Party (ANP) fielding candidates in all four wards. The PTI candidates won two of the seats, one of the seat was won by ANP while and one seat was bagged by an independent candidate.
At Risalpur, the PTI and the JI clinched one seat each, while an independent candidate won at its third ward.
In Abbottabad, ballots were cast for nine seats which were contested by 39 candidates across the three cantonment boards – Abbottabad, Havelian and Murree Gallies – of the district.
According to unofficial results, PTI won four seats out of nine, while the PML-N could clinch only one seat. Four seats were bagged by independent candidates.
A high voter turnout was seen in Bannu cantonment as eight candidates competed for two wards. Several voters were turned back for carrying invalid identity documents.
Police had set up a special control room to monitor the balloting process in Kohat cantonment. The DPO also visited the polling stations numerous times to oversee the arrangements.
Balochistan
In Balochistan, independent candidates bagged the majority of seats in cantonment board elections. At least 38 candidates contested in the cantonment board elections for five wards of the provincial capital and two of Loralai.
Out of these seven seats, five seats were bagged by independents while the PML-N and Ittehad Panel could clinch only one seat each. Two independent candidates were elected unopposed at Zhob cantonment.
Polling kicked off at 8 am simultaneously at 22 polling stations in the provincial capital and 4 in Loralai. Strict security measures were adopted with the deployment of Pakistan Army troops in different wards.
Karachi
In Sindh, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) stood out as the major political force during Saturday’s LG polls at the provinces cantonment areas.
In Karachi, the MQM won eight seats at Faisal cantonment, while the PML-N won two seats. There were a total of ten wards in the cantonment.
At Clifton cantonment – which also has ten wards – the PTI won five seats, the PPP won three seats, while the MQM won two seats and the JI picked up one seat.
At Karachi cantonment, which has five wards, the MQM won three seats while two independent candidates also succeeded in getting elected.
At Malir Cantonment, the MQM won two seats and the PML-N managed to bag one seat. At Manora cantonment, two independent candidates were declared winners.Manora cantonment has two wards.
At Korangi Cantonment, the election was held only in one of its two seats , which was one by the PML-N candidate.
During the LG polls in Karachi questions were raised over the transparency of polls as the board’s officials did not allow independent observers, media to enter the premises of polling stations.
A lot of eligible voters did not even know that the elections were taking place in their areas, as the political parties paid little attention to the contest. The turnout in all cantonment areas of Karachi was from 15 to 20 per cent.
Hyderabad
The MQM emerged as victor in the local government elections on 10 wards of the Hyderabad cantonment board, bagging six seats according to unofficial results. Already the party’s candidates were unopposed from two wards, three and eight, after other parties’ candidates withdrew from the race.
The PPP secured three seats while one seat went to an independent candidate.
A total of 32,406 people were registered to vote in the eight wards. However, the turnout remained low. The MQM candidates won from wards two, five, nine and ten while the PPP candidates were elected from the wards one and six.
The vote count in the wards nine and ten, where the number of voters is higher than the rest of the wards, was yet to complete. The MQM candidates are reportedly far ahead of their opponents in the PPP.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 26th, 2015.