KARACHI: Barring a few incidents of violence and complaints by contesting parties with regard to the alleged violation of the election rules, no major untoward incident was reported during polling for general seats of six cantonment boards in Karachi on Sunday.

Some minor incidents were reported from certain areas.

Clifton SHO Pir Shabbir Haider said that one person was detained on charges of carrying a licensed pistol while polling was under way in Clifton. He said that the held person had given the weapon to his son before going to cast his vote, but “he was arrested for display of weapon” and an FIR was registered against him.

One hurt in clash in Malir Cantt

In another incident, a scuffle broke out between workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Pakistan Peoples Party during polling in the Korangi Creek area.

Tension gripped a Malir Cantonment locality before law enforcers were called in following a scuffle between workers of rival political parties in which reportedly one person suffered minor injuries.

A trouble started when Maritime Affairs Minister Ali Zaidi came to a polling station near the National Stadium reportedly to cast his vote and workers of rival political parties chanted slogans.

The PPP sent a number of letters to the Election Commission of Pakistan, complaining about lawmakers mostly affiliated with the PTI visiting polling stations in Karachi and PPP’s polling agents allegedly not being allowed to enter.

PPP’s Taj Haider, in one such letter, alleged that the rivals had “planned to rig the election in three wards of Cantonment Board Clifton”.

In a significant development, the district returning officer for the Faisal Cantonment Board ordered police to “expel PTI MNA Mohammed Akram Cheema from the constituency till the end of polling for visiting the constituency and creating problems for voters”.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2021