QUETTA: Violence again disrupted the electoral process on Wednesday in Balochistan’s PB-9 (Kohlu) constituency, where re-polling was scheduled following previous allegations of irregularities.

The area witnessed a series of violent attacks, including rocket firings and landmine explosions, leading to the death of a PPP worker and injuries to Levies force personnel.

Confirming the disruption, the provincial election commission cited the inability of polling staff to reach their designated posts due to the precarious security situation, marked by explosions and rocket fire near the polling stations.

The primary contenders for PB-9 are Nawab Jangeez Marri of PML-N and Mir Nasibullah Marri of PPP. Initially, Mr Nasibullah emerged victorious in the Feb 8 election, but his win was contested by opponents who alleged rigging in certain polling stations.

PkMAP candidate challenges by-election results in PB-50, cites irregularities

Following hearings, the ECP ordered re-polling in seven stations, subsequently declaring Nawab Jangeez Khan Marri as the winner. However, after his opponent once again approa-ched the Election Commission with rigging complaints, the ECP ordered re-polling in four stations.

The situation turned violent last night when unidentified assailants launched rockets near the election camp of Mir Nasibullah Marri, killing one of his supporters.

Additional rockets and landmine explosions followed in the Nasao area of Kohlu, causing damage to property, including a vehicle. Gunfire also took place in the area, in which a Levies soldier was injured.

The situation in the area remains tense, with the district administration deploying a heavy contingent of security forces.

PB-50 results challenged

Mirwais Khan Achakzai, the Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) candidate for the provincial constituency PB-50 (Qila Abdullah), has rejected the April 21 by-election results.

During a press conference in Quetta on Wednesday, Mr Achakzai, flanked by party Secretary General Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal and other party members, insisted that he was the rightful winner and called for the returning officer to release the actual Form 45 results that he claimed showed his victory.

Mr Achakzai alleged that during the by-election, held under directives from the Supreme Court, the polling stations had been improperly staffed by supporters of his opponent, who acted as polling officials.

He also claimed that on the eve of the elections, staff from five polling stations were abducted. He said a complaint was formally lodged with both the Election Commission of Pakistan and the returning officer concerned, but it went unresolved.

According to Mr Achakzai, the absence of polling staff led to fraudulent activities at the stations, where presiding officers allegedly produced fake Form 45s that were accepted by the returning officer.

He highlighted discrepancies, such as voter turnout being lower than the total votes reported and missing ballots. He noted that some presiding officers had sent letters to their polling agents pointing out these irregularities.

Mr Achakzai also expressed his concern over procedural breaches, mentioning that two separate Form 47s were sent — one on the polling day and another the following day — which he deemed a clear violation of the Elections Act and Rules of 2017.

“We demand that our victory be officially recognised by a margin of over 14,000 votes and that those involved in the election manipulation be held accountable under the law,” he said.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2024