October 11, 2002	Friday	Sha'aban 4, 1423

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QUETTA, Oct 10: Polling for the 14 NA and 51 PA seats in Balochistan, including the Quetta city, was held in a peaceful and smooth manner.

Except for some minor skirmishes between rival political workers in Panjgur and Chaman, and a firing incident that took place in Kuch Hasanzai of Pishin District claiming one life, no major untoward incident was reported from any part the province.

The polling started at 8pm and ended at 5pm.

No complaint of any serious nature was received from any polling station of the city. Polling agents of various political parties have expressed satisfaction over the arrangements made for the smooth running of the polling stations.

Balochistan Governor Amirul Mulk Mengal also visited several polling stations in the morning to see the arrangements.

Talking to Dawn after visiting a polling station at Tameer Nau College, the governor said the polling was going on smoothly and in a peaceful manner everywhere, and there had not been any incident of violence.

A visit to several polling stations in the morning of the Quetta city showed that initially the voters turnout remained low. However, it picked up gradually in the afternoon and evening.

Sources told Dawn that at Tahmeer Nau College in polling station No.8, only 177 votes had been cast out of 1,000 while in PS-9 only 213 out of 1,070 registered voters had used their right of frenchize till 11:40am.

At a women polling station the number of vote cast by noon was 179 out of the total 1,136 registered votes. Similarly, in Saint Treza School, out of 1,000 votes, 132 were cast till 12:15pm.

At a polling station in a Deaf and Dumb school, 149 voters out of 1,200 used their democratic right till 12:20.

At Yazdan Khan school, 132 out of 874 votes were cast in the polling station No.12 while in No.13, out of 832 votes, 170 were cast. In Hazara Society, out of 897 votes, 232 were cast till 1.5pm.

In a polling station at Standard Public School, out of 1,342, only 287 were cast till 1:30pm while in a polling station at Government High School, Haji Gibi Road, out of 1,512 votes, only 197 votes were witnessed.

In Sandeman High School polling station, the total number of registered votes was 1,000, out of which only 395 votes were cast till 11am. In the Government Science College, 75 votes were cast out of 1,267 votes till noon whereas at Government Girls College, Quari Road, only 70 out of 1,374 votes were cast till 2pm.

At Government Girls School, Marriabad, out of 1,318 women votes, 350 were cast till noon. In a women polling station in Pashtoonabad, out of 2618, only 300 votes were cast till 2pm.

At Government Girls College in Satellite town, out of 3,207, only 356 votes were cast. At a polling station in Sirki Road, out of 2,000 votes, only 202 were cast by 2.30pm.

Surprisingly, the turnout of voters was also slow in Pashtoonabad, Marriabad, Alamdar Road, Satellite Town, Sirki Road and Sariab Road which have been the traditional centres for voting in all the previous elections.

A police officer Mohammad Qasim told Dawn: “I never witness such low turnout in any previous election”.