Of the keenly observed polls and people's disinterest

Delawar Jan

PESHAWAR: On May 11, just three and a half months ago, voters formed long snaking queues to participate in election, but that sight was missing on Thursday during by-election on NA-1.

The inflow of voters, both male and female, was consistently thin. At polling stations visited, not a single line of even two or three voters was witnessed till 1pm, an indication of low turnout. On May 11, people waited in lines for a long time for their turn but on August 22 it was the polling staff that waited for the voters. “In general election, I had to wait for 45 minutes to cast vote. Today, it took me only five minutes,” said a voter in Faqirabad.

“The polling staff inside is swatting flies,” said a police official manning gate of a polling station in Quaidabad locality of the city. “That shows voters have no interest in the process,” he added.

Inside the polling station, the booths were in place. The polling staff sat with papers in their hands, but there was no voter to cast vote. The staff had no work to do and gazed at each other faces. “Individuals come intermittently,” Presiding Officer Najma Shafiq said about voters’ inflow. The situation was: registered voters 927, polled 49, time12:01pm.

At another polling station in Bhanamari, 108 had polled out of 1,300 registered votes till 12:25pm. In the adjacent polling station number 224, only 68 votes had polled out 1,070 till12:28pm.

Election camps did not see rush. Enthusiasm for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, seen on May 11, was nowhere. Even at some polling stations, they had no camps. Spirited young voters who had created a wave in the general election did not figure in support of Imran Khan’s PTI, an apparent disillusion with the party.

“I voted for the candidate who would not forsake us, who is from this area and who can solve our problems,” said an ageing woman, draped in black burqa. PTI’s Gul Bacha was said to be an Afghan national, an allegation that came from members of his own party.

Voters and polling staff mostly expressed satisfaction over the process of election. All presiding officers interviewed at different polling stations had faced no security problem. “The process is smooth and peaceful so far,” said a presiding officer at a polling station in Wazirbagh.

No major terror incident occurred in the city during the polling in Peshawar, a city that has been the target of relentless attacks of militants. General election in May saw bloodshed in Peshawar as militants targetted election campaign, including a suicide attack on Ghulam Bilour.

Strict security measures were taken to protect polling stations. The buildings housing polling stations were corralled and streets leading to them closed to stop entry of irrelevant people. Police officials and troops were deployed in all polling stations to ensure full security to the staff and voters. Officials said seven to 10 troops were deployed in every polling station who patrolled streets near polling stations, manned entrances and watched polling staff and voters.

“We are satisfied with the security arrangements,” said Arif, an ANP activist, at Government High School No.3 city.

There were reports that troops disallowed journalists, particularly photographers and cameramen, to enter polling stations at some localities. “We have no issue with you but have orders from the senior officers,” a soldier explained at a polling station in Quaidabad. A senior photographer went from polling station to polling station in the hope to take a shot of a voter casting vote.

He was not allowed and got frustrated. No officer was at polling stations to explain why media was being stopped from covering the process as ECP said journalists could visit polling stations. “I was stopped from entering the polling station in Mohalla Khudadad. A soldier told me ‘you can talk to people outside’,” said a reporter. However, some photojournalists managed to take snaps inside the polling stations.

A woman voter railed against the Election Commission of Pakistan for providing wrong information about vote. “In four polling stations, I failed to locate my vote,” said Anbareen Gul in Bhanamari.