Voting for the first phase of local government elections in 14 districts of Sindh began on Sunday, with the ECP confirming clashes outside a polling station in Pano Aqeel, Sukkur.
The polling, which started after 8 am, will continue without any interruption till 5 pm.
The 14 districts of four divisions — Sukkur, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas — include Ghotki, Sukkur, Khairpur, Larkana, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Kashmore-Kandhkot, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Naushahro Feroze, Shaheed Benazirabad, Mirpur, Sanghparar, Umarkkar .
violence
There were reports of sporadic violence, with broadcasters broadcasting footage of two groups attacking each other with sticks in Kandakot. According to don news tvTwenty people were reportedly injured in the clashes, and five are believed to have been seriously injured.
There are also reports of clashes between GDA and PPP workers in Ghotki. don news tv The report said that polling was stopped at Abal Garhi polling station.
Encounters were also reported from Thal tehsil of Jacobabad, with television footage showing a large group of people pushing and punching each other outside the Kandrani polling station. Voting was stopped there too. Two of the 10 injured in the scuffle were candidates. don news tv,
Meanwhile, PTI’s Ali Zaidi claimed that Arbab Inayatullah, son of former Sindh chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim, was attacked by Zardari mafia goons at a polling booth in Tharparkar’s Mithi Ke Kaloi.
“Law enforcement and the ECP are nowhere to be seen, except the Sindh Police who are actually protecting the attackers!” He added.
The Election Commission said at around 12 noon that polling has resumed in Sukkur’s Pano Aqeel tehsil, which was postponed due to clashes between two unidentified parties.
“The situation in Sukkur is peaceful,” the poll watchdog said. He said that citizens can exercise their franchise without any fear.
Additional 450MW supply to disco
In an effort to facilitate the election, the power ministry said the electricity department passed orders to provincial distribution companies to supply an additional 450MW with an additional 450MW on June 25 from 8 a.m. to midnight today.
“All efforts are being made for uninterrupted supply for polling and counting,” the ministry said.
Before the elections, political parties issued statements trying to draw voters to their camps.
PPP President Bilawal Bhutto Zardari issued a statement wishing party ticket holders good luck in the elections. “Get out and vote for a peaceful, prosperous and progressive Sindh Bhuttoism,” he said on Twitter on Saturday night.
“After successive defeats, our opponents are getting frustrated and threatening violence. I call upon my supporters to remain peaceful and not get agitated, vote, democracy is our revenge,” he said.
Yesterday, PTI chairman Imran Khan said that the PPP is “terrorizing our candidates and not following the orders of the SC” under Article 140-A to empower local representatives, the party participating in the elections. . was. “I ask the people of Sindh to vote for PTI candidates and put an end to the Zardari mafia,” he said.
PPP’s Sharjeel Memon responds to former prime minister, calling him a “habitual liar”. He added: “You know that the people of Sindh have rejected you so you are already crying.”
PTI leader Haleem Adil Sheikh issued a statement today calling upon the people of the state to exercise their franchise. He urged the citizens to cast their vote “at the right place” for their prosperity and development.
He alleged that opposition leaders were upbeat despite the “indecision” of the PPP. He also claimed that the provincial police and the election commission are the party’s “B team”.
But despite these concerns, we are competing in the elections, he said.
Action will be taken against violators, ECP warns
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Election Commission (ECP) Secretary Umar Hameed Khan visited a control room set up to monitor the elections and directed the District Monitoring Officers (DPOs) to be more vigilant.
“Any violation will be dealt with immediately,” the ECP secretary said.
More than 21,000 candidates are in the fray for 6,277 seats in 101 municipal committees, 23 municipal committees, 14 district councils, four municipal corporations, 11 municipal corporations and 887 union councils and union committees.
According to the ECP, 9,290 polling stations have been set up, out of which 1,985 have been declared as hypersensitive and 3,448 as sensitive.
Data shared by the ECP said there are 11,643,582 voters – 6,331,383 men and 5312,199 women – registered in the four divisions who would be eligible to cast their votes.
The ECP has also set up a central control room in Islamabad to monitor and register complaints related to elections.
In the second phase, elections will be held in 16 districts of Karachi and Hyderabad divisions.
However, major opposition parties continue to doubt the fairness and transparency of the process and have accused the ruling Pakistan People’s Party of pre-poll rigging for fear of polling day violence and mistrust in police security.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), an alliance of five political parties Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) and Sindh United Party (SUP), feared further deepening after one person was killed and at least eight people were injured by grenades. Is. has occurred. Attack in Jacobabad on Moula Dad Road.
Police officials are not sure about the motive for the attack, but they did not rule out the possibility of its links with Sunday’s elections.