PESHAWAR: At least 55 people, including two women, were wounded in scuffles among supporters of candidates at various polling stations in the provincial metropolis during the local government elections on Saturday.

Police personnel deputed at the polling stations mostly remained spectators to the mismanagement and violation of queue by voters, which also caused delay in start of the polling process. Sources said that 30 injured were brought to the Lady Reading Hospital and another 25 to the Khyber Teaching Hospital.

During visits to different polling stations by this correspondent, the candidates and their supporters complained of insufficient security arrangements which led to clashes among the people. The clashes took place at Kohat Road, Kakshaal, Bakhshi Pul, Ghari Atta Mohammad, Aslam Dheri, Beri Bagh, Shagi Hindkian, Bashirabad, Baghbanan, Umeedabad, Warsak Road, Hussainabad, Nauthia, Tarnab, Sufaid Dheri, etc.

In Faqirabad area, the workers of Awami National Party and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf clashed. However, the army personnel were called in who dispersed them by firing in the air. No casualty was reported.

The situation in the outskirts of Peshawar remained tense due to lack of sufficient security arrangements. A police official told this correspondent that the required number of policemen was not deputed at the polling stations and thus the existing staff could not resist the pressure of supporters of the candidates.

According to officials and voters, the election process was stopped in some areas for the only reason that sufficient security personnel were not available to defuse the political pressure on the polling staff.

“Every candidate is baselessly blaming us for rigging. We have the only option to postpone the election process by writing to the election commission,” said an official at Shaikh Mohammadi polling station.

There was no arrangement for checking of the 55 wounded in scuffles at Peshawar polling stations women voters coming in veils to the polling stations. Besides, the shortage of lady police officials was specially felt at the rural areas’ polling stations.

People said that they took life risk to come to the polling stations in a state of uncertainty because there was no arrangement for body search of the voters and metal detectors at least to check weapons and other explosive devices.

At many points the roads outside the polling stations remained blocked owing to the parking of vehicles, election offices and presence of a large number of supporters of the candidates. The traffic police apparently remained off duty, as at many places people were seen trying to clear the roads themselves.

“Everyone is trying to move ahead and nobody wants to line up for their turn,” a policeman at Nauthia polling station said. He said that the police had to stretch razor wire along the school’s walls to queue up people for polling vote.

Inspector general of police Nasir Khan Durrani has, meanwhile, asked the police officials to register cases against those found involved in firing in the air, display of arms and damaging election material.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2015

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