LAHORE: Exercising his right to franchise cost a voter his cellular phone on Saturday and the culprit was not a pickpocket but allegedly a group of fellow voters.

A resident of a housing colony along Jail Road had gone to cast his vote at the polling station set up at the Crescent Model High School, Shadman.

A policemen deployed at the main entrance to the school found during body search that Shahzad (name changed) was carrying a cellular phone.

“Sir, you cannot take a mobile phone inside,” said the policeman, while pointing towards a banner displayed there that said, “Mobile phone polling station mein lay jana mannah hai. Bahukam SHO (Carrying mobile phone inside polling station is prohibited. By the orders of SHO).

“I think Election Commission had only banned arms and weapons,” argued Shahzad.

“Sir, I do not know who the Election Commission is. I only follow orders of my officers,” responded the policeman.

Before Shahzad could argue further, someone standing behind him in the queue proposed: “We too have mobile phones. Let us request this policeman to keep our phones till we return.”

Inside the polling station, Shahzad had to wait in another queue for about 15 minutes or so to reach the polling staff to get the ballot paper. After casting his vote, Shahzad came out and demanded his phone back. “Which phone sir? The youngsters have taken away all the phones,” the policeman told the shocked voter.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2015

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