Rawalpindi-The polling for 19 seats of Rawalpindi and Chaklala Cantonment Board elections were held on Sunday amid tight security.
A low turn-out was witnessed in polling stations as voters. However, high turn-out of voters could be seen in thickly populated areas including Lalkurti, Dheri Hassanabad, Tulsa, Lalazar, Tench Bhatta, Jhanda Chichi, Baraf Khana Chowk, Misrial Road, Naseerabad and Chuhur Chowk.
The turn-out in most polling stations was low. However, by the afternoon, activity gained momentum until the end of the polling day.
Following the orders of City Police Officer (CPO) Muhammad Ahsan Younas, a total of 3000 well-equipped cops and officers performed security duty in 582 polling stations set up in the cantt and garrison. Also, Rangers assisted police in maintaining law and order. Police also held two suspects namely Hassan and Muhammad Adeel during snap checking in the jurisdictions of police stations Wah Cantt and Morgah and seized weapons from their possession. Separate cases were registered against the accused, according to a police spokesman. He said the police implemented the rules and regulations of ECP during cantonment board elections. Likewise, a comprehensive traffic plan was also put in place by the traffic wardens to facilitate the voters on directions of acting Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Capt (R) Mazhar.
The presiding officers of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had to stop polling process in polling stations number 30, 31 and 32 of Ward Number 1 after clashes occurred between the supporters of arch-rivals PML-N and PTI.
Most of the presiding officers, during an interaction with The Nation, said the voters turn-out was low in the morning but the process was held in peaceful manner. They said that they had hardly entertained any requests to cast votes on the production of documents other than Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs) of NADRA.
Amir Ghani, a supporter of PML-N candidate Malik Naheem Azhar, said that the turn-out in the ward was better as people left their houses in a big number for stamping on Tiger, the election symbol of PML-N.
He said that the polling started at 8am and the voters start arriving in polling stations at 7:30am to avoid rush. He said he conducted elections duty in last general elections but the arrangements were better this time.
Zohaib Khan, a party activist at Chaklala Scheme-III, said that the turn-out was low in the morning but mostly people arrived in afternoon. He said that the voters knew better how to cast their votes and they cast it without any help.
In addition, the polling agents present at these stations complained that mobile phones were not allowed. However, a cantonment official told The Nation that the mobile phones were given to presiding officers only to call in case of emergency.
Meanwhile, all candidates of political parties provided pick and drop facilities to their voters and supporters for the whole day in a sheer violation of rules and regulations of the ECP.