PESHAWAR: Twenty five security personnel and four polling staffers were deputed for the security of two voters at a polling station in Sadda, Kurram Agency where one voter cast his vote in elections for LA-35 (Jammu-VI) constituency on Thursday.

Election Officer Nasrullah said that number of registered voters in Kurram Agency was two and one of them was absent. Abdul Qadir, who was present, polled his vote while the other voter, Ishaq Khan, was in Kashmir.

Local administration had deployed 25 personnel of Kurram Levies for the security of the polling station and voters. A number of Kashmiris had settled in Parachinar and Sadda.

Polling was conducted in peaceful atmosphere for the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly in Peshawar and other areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Army troops and police were deployed in and around the polling stations.

29 officials deployed for two voters in Kurram Agency

Azad Jammu and Kashmir Election Commission had set up 20 polling stations including six for men, five for women and nine combined. Registered Kashmiri voters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are around 23,000.

Polling was conducted in Peshawar, Nowshera, Haripur, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Swat, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu and Mardan.

The relevant officials visited polling stations in Peshawar and expressed satisfaction over arrangements. Three polling stations were set up in Peshawar.

In Dera Ismail Khan, PTI candidate Abdul Majid Khan won the elections by getting 137 votes while Jamaat-i-Islami candidate Abdul Bari was the runner up as he got only 13 votes.

There are 211 registered Kashmiri voters in DI Khan including 118 men and 113 women. However, total 153 votes were cast.

Two separate polling booths were set at Mufti Mehmood School where polling was held in tight security.

In Mansehra, Abdul Majid Khan of PTI was leading the elections for LA-41 constituency by securing over 800 votes in the district. Abdul Bari, the joint contender of JI and PML-N secured 300 votes and stood runner up.

The polling, which was started at 9am, continued until 5pm without any interval.

The polling remained peaceful at seven polling stations across the district.

The Kashmiri families, settled in Swat, actively participated in the elections for LA-41 and LA-35 constituencies of Legislative Assembly of Azad Jammu and Kashamir by casting their votes in three combined polling stations set up in Mingora, Matta and Bahrain.

About 350 families from Kashmir migrated to Swat during 1965 war and settled in different parts of the district.

Some of the candidates also visited Swat to inform their voters about their programme after winning the elections.

Mohammad Naeem, a presiding officer at Nazarabad polling station in Matta, said that a combined polling station for men and women was set up where the polling process held in a peaceful way.

“We have 60 men and 52 women voters here. Both men and women cast their votes in a very peaceful situation,” he told Dawn.

Somia, a voter, said that the voting process went in a pleasant environment. “We used our right of vote in favour of our candidate peacefully and are happy with the polling process,” she said. She added that arrangements were good.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2016