Voters of NA-246 have expressed mixed reaction over the arrangements made by Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the by-election held on Thursday. The commission had taken unprecedented measures to avoid rigging in bye-elections. During brief visit to different polling stations of NA-246, the correspondent observed that law enforcers and presiding officers claimed to have implemented ECP regulations in true spirit while there were violation in some polling stations.
Voters at Wazir-e-Jahan Girls Secondary School (WJGSS) polling station while talking to this scribe alleged law enforcers for delaying polling through unnecessary security measures. Uzma Jahangir, 26, who came at WJGSS, said that she reached at the polling station at around 10:00 am but after a lapse of almost an hour, she was unable to enter the polling station due to unnecessary security measures.
She said that although ECP arrangements were laudable, law enforcers were unable to perform their duty efficiently that resulted in long queue of voters outside polling stations, which might affect elections turnout. Zahid, 30 and Kamran 45, who were not allowed to enter in WJGSS polling station because of having cell phones in their pockets, said that they spent 40 minutes in queue to reach the main entrance where law enforcers did not allow them to enter the polling station for having cell phones.
They said: "We accept our mistake but ECP in order to facilitate the voters should have established booths to deposit their cell phones." Meanwhile, voters at Mono-technique School complained that polling remained suspended for 45 minutes - 12 pm till 1:30 pm, due to shortage of magnetic ink.
On the other hand, voters at Altaf Hussain Hali School, Metropolitan Foundation, The City Public School, Anglo Dental and Royal Academy expressed dissatisfaction over the implementation of ECP regulations, saying that law enforcers, who were supposed to verify the names and address of the voters before allowing them to enter in the premises of polling stations, only confirmed the possession of original CNIC no matter the person, showing CNIC to the law enforcers, was the voter of NA-246 or not. They also criticised the law enforcers for not conducting physical inspection of the voters at main entrance of polling stations. Resultantly several unwanted persons entered the polling stations and they were found using cell phones in the premises of polling stations with impunity, they said.
Contrary to the aforesaid views, majority of voters at Siraj-ud-dullah College, Apwa College, Dehli Government School, Ideal Academy and Cosmopolitan Academy were satisfied with the arrangements, saying that election staff and security personnel were co-operative with them. Meanwhile, Rangers took five MQM workers including Faraz, Kashif, Jamal and two unknown into custody on the complaint of PTI workers from KDA Primary School. These persons were detained over the charge of misguiding voters. Similarly a female Tanzil Ansari was also arrested for casting fake vote.
Clashes between the workers of PTI and MQM also been reported at Karimabad, Taya Hotel Liaquatabad, the City Public School, block-15 F.B Area where both parties' workers scuffled and raised slogans against each others. Around 9000 security personnel and 1900 election staff were deployed at 213 polling stations of NA-246.
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