QUETTA, August 18: At least 40 people, including a candidate for nazim and two security personnel, were injured in clashes in different areas of Balochistan in the first phase of local government elections held in 231 union councils of 14 districts of the province on Thursday.

A powerful bomb exploded near a polling station in Khuzdar causing panic among voters. Another blast was reported in Nushki near a Wapda grid station that affected polling in some other areas of the township.

According to reports received here, one person was killed in a clash between rival groups at a polling station in Jaffarabad. However, official sources did not confirm any death and said that 18 people and a policeman had suffered injuries in the clash.

The polling was suspended for one to two hours in 12 polling stations following clashes between supporters of contesting candidates. A serious clash took place at a polling station for women in union council-3 in Jaffarabad following allegations of bogus voting. Supporters of rival groups pelted each other with stones and also used sticks and batons.

Polling was stopped and Frontier Corps personnel took control of the station. They shifted the injured to the civil hospital. The polling resumed after about two hours.

An incident of violence was also reported from Khuzdar where 10 people, including a levies soldier and a candidate, were injured. The rival groups exchanged fire with automatic weapons in Baghbana, Zehri and Ferozabad areas. The injured were admitted to the civil hospital.

A powerful explosion took place near the boundary wall of a male polling station in the Model Public School in Khuzdar. The wall of the school was damaged, but there were no casualties.

Polling was stopped for some time as voters gathered inside the polling station left the premises after the blast. Security was beefed up in all the polling stations in Khuzdar after the explosion.

Reports of minor clashes were received from Qila Saifullah, Dera Murad Jamali, Pishin and Usta Mohammad.

In other places of the province, polling was largely peaceful and orderly. The Election Commission had set up 1,367 polling stations in the 14 districts, Pishin, Nushki, Qila Saifullah, Barkhan, Sibi, Ziarat, Nasirabad, Jaffarabad, Bolan, Mastung, Khuzdar, Awaran, Kharan and Gwadar. The turnout of voters was low in the morning but after 11am people started reaching the stations and long queues of men and women were seen.

Defying tribal traditions, women voters in large numbers cast their votes and no MMA candidate, tribal Sardar or Nawab stopped them from casting their votes. Special teams of the provincial Election Commission which visited the polling stations and expressed satisfaction over arrangements made for polling.

Heavy contingents of Frontier Corps, police, Balochistan Reserve Police and levies were deployed at all the polling stations.