QUETTA, April 30: Moderate polling for referendum was witnessed on Tuesday in this provincial capital and other parts of Balochistan amid strike and boycott calls by the three main political alliances.

Polling was completed in the city polling stations and elsewhere in the province without let or hindrance. No untoward incident was reported from anywhere.

However, there was no rush or long queues because of a large number of polling stations set up and the simple procedure adopted for casting votes.

Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan, Justice (retd) Irshad Hasan Khan, Governor Balochistan, Justice (retd) Amirul Mulk Mengal and Member EC from Balochistan, Justice Ahmed Khan Lashari inspected some polling stations in the provincial capital.

Voting was low in the first two hours during which time the city remained completely closed and even traffic was thin.

Moderate polling was witnessed even in such areas which are considered strongholds of Pushtoonkhawa Milli Awami Party and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, who had issued strike and boycott calls against the referendum. A relatively larger turnout was witnessed in areas where the Hazara tribes reside.

No strike was observed in Huda, Jail road, Alamdar road and Marriabad areas.

“I am very happy after casting vote for the first time in my life. It was Musharraf who gave me this chance at the age of 18,” a student of Girls College, Shazia Rahman, said.

However, the turnout was low at the polling station at Balochistan Secretariat.

Reports coming from other parts of Balochistan, including Turbat, Panjgur, Gwadar, Khuzdar, Leba, Nasirabad, Usta Mohammad, Dera Murad Jamali, Kharan, Chagai, Kalat, Mastung, Chaman, Pishin, Laralai, Zhob and other areas, spoke of moderate voting. In Makran, the polling was reported to be brisk.