Election 2013: Strike, threats mar Balochistan polling

By Muhammad Zafar

Published: May 12, 2013

Female voters of the Hazara community line up to cast their votes. PHOTO: AFP

QUETTA:

Our worst fears did not come true. After a bloody run-up to the elections, in which dozens were killed in various parts of the country, Election Day went off fairly peacefully.

There was sporadic violence across the board, but the much feared wave of terror did not materialise. Indeed, in most parts of the country, people turned out in large numbers, despite the threats from terrorists who had vowed to disrupt the elections. The process was far from perfect, but the flaws were not so great that they can be said to have marred the elections entirely.

Fear, boycotts, strikes and sporadic violence characterized the voting process in Balochistan, including Quetta, where polling was held for 14 National Assembly and 51 provincial assembly seats.

Over 70,000 security personnel were deployed across the province, particularly in the Baloch-dominated districts, to ensure peaceful elections.

Outlawed separatist groups such as the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) and Baloch Republican Party (BRA) – had threatened people against exercising their constitutional right.

Due to strike calls, most Baloch-dominated districts were closed and traffic on national highways was also very think. This resulted in a low turnout in Kech, Panjgur, Awaran and other Baloch-dominated districts.

Sources said that most of the polling staff did not show up for duty in these regions due to threats from Baloch separatist groups. That’s why polling stations in Panjgur presented a deserted look. The situation in Kech and Awaran was no different.

On the contrary in Pashtun-dominated district, the situation was quite encouraging. A large number of people turned up at polling stations in the districts of Pishin, Qila Abdullah, Ziarat, Qila Saifullah, Jaffarabad, Naseerabad, Zhob, Harnai, Kalat, Khuzdar and Sibi.

Interestingly, the turnout of female voters remained high as long queues could be seen at different polling stations in Quetta. “Voting did not start until the media visited the polling station,” a woman voter said while thanking the media.

Peshawar

People in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa defied militant threats and turned up in large numbers to use their right to vote in the country’s historic elections.

By and large, voting was peaceful. However, sporadic incidents of violence – including bomb and rocket attacks – were reported in some parts of the province. At least one person was killed and 35 people were wounded in violence.

At some polling stations, balloting was suspended following violent clashes between supporters of rival parties.

In this conservative society, women usually don’t show up for voting, while in some areas they are disenfranchised by their men. On Saturday however, women came out to vote, even in polling stations that were officially declared ‘highly sensitive’.

In some neighbourhoods, women were not allowed to use their democratic right. Complaints of rigging were also made by some candidates against their opponents.

Voters also faced problems due to mismanagement and a shortage, or sometimes a complete lack of polling staff at a number of stations. In a polling station for females located in Government College Peshawar, two presiding officers and one assistant presiding officer did not show up for duty. Mera Gul, a presiding officer at the college, said she pointed that out to the election authorities – but no action was taken.

Defending the administration, the provincial caretaker government’s spokesperson Mossarat Qadeem said, “Despite threats of extremist attacks, the day passed peacefully.” She added that Rs160million worth of security arrangements proved effective.

Punjab

Though polling in Punjab was peaceful throughout for the most part, violence and allegations of rigging were also reported in some districts. Two PML-N activists were killed in the clash.

Supporters of PML-N and independent candidate Sanaullah Masti Khel clashed in Bhakkar district where two PML-N activists were killed. A PTI worker was killed in Gujranwala in a clash with PML-N supporters.

In Lahore, three armed clashes were reported between the workers of PML-N and PTI. Police arrested an armed guard of PTI candidate Nawaz Nat for firing into the air in Badami Bagh.

Allegations of rigging were rife in the constituency from where PML-N candidate Khwaja Saad Rafiq was contesting. However, neither police nor election authorities took any notice of the complaints lodged by voters.

Voting was briefly suspended in NA-75 (Faisalabad) after PML-N supporters allegedly forced some people to vote for their candidate. Police said they would wait for a formal complaint before making any arrests.

However, a PML-N candidate was arrested for attempting to rig elections in Rajanpur.

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