RAWALPINDI: For the first time in history, 1,170 of the total 60,000 prisoners in different jails of the Punjab have been allowed to participate in the electoral process by casting their votes, it has been learnt.

Source said that of the 1,170 eligible voters, 123 were from Central Jail Adiala and had applied for casting their votes.

Their applications had been sent to the Returning Officer for the issuance of ballot papers.

When the Inspector General of Prison Punjab Mian Farooq Nazir was contacted, he confirmed that, in line with the Chief Election Commission’s instructions, the details of the 1,170 prisoners had been sent to the election commission before the due date (April 25).

Shortly, the ballot papers would be issued to the superintendents of all jails, he added.

He said none of the female prisoners would cast their vote since they did not have their national identity cards (CNIC).

“It is for the first time prisoners are being given the right to vote, but their number is very disappointing,” IGP Farooq Nazir said. When asked whether the inmates, some of them being tried or convicted in high profile terrorism cases, would be facilitated to cast their votes, he said, “Whoever is a Pakistan national and has a CNIC is eligible to vote.”

The IGP said that after the ballot papers were received by the jail authorities, arrangements would be made at each superintendent’s office to facilitate the voters.

He added that the computerised voters’ lists had made it possible for the prisoners to cast their votes.

“The voting process will be held under the supervision of the superintendent of jail at his office. On the ballot paper, the voter will write down his preferred candidate’s name instead of putting a stamp. In case the voter is illiterate, the jail superintendent will write down the name along with an affidavit on behalf of the voter,” the IGP Prisons said.

The polling in the jails would be held on a working day before May 11 since the ballot papers had to be received by the district election commission before that date.

According to the district election commissioner Rawalpindi, Zahid Subhani, the district returning officer, had already dispatched the ballot papers to the jails administrations which had requested for the facility.

He added that the district returning officer will open the sealed postal bags containing the votes on May 11.

“The postal ballots received after May 11 will be considered useless,” DEC Subhani said.

When the superintendent of Adiala Jail, Malik Mushtaq Awan, was contacted he confirmed that 123 applications had been sent to the district election commissioner for the issuance of ballot papers.

“Prisoners are more political than the people outside, although their number is disappointing,” a senior official of prison department said.