PESHAWAR, Oct 10: The overall turnout remained thin till the last vote was cast at various polling stations in Peshawar city and its adjoining rural areas. The polling rate could not pick up even after lunch hours and was thought to be around 20 per cent.

The polling, which started at 8pm continued without any break till 5pm. But most voters preferred to remain glued to their TV sets than to go to polling stations.

“It looks like the second episode of the referendum,” observed a polling agent at the Government High School No-2, Peshawar. “We are here since early in the morning, but only 107 voters out of the 387 registered came till 5pm,” he said.

Some of the candidates had no polling agents throughout their constituencies. Most of the polling agents knew nothing about the duties they were supposed to perform on behalf of their candidates.

Two female polling agents, who were representing two rival candidates, preferred to sit outside the polling station. “Why should we sit inside? With the people not interested in using their right, we don’t think there will be any rigging,” was how they explained their position to Dawn.

A political activist observed that there was more enthusiasm and colour during the local bodies elections than in “today’s boring and listless exercise.”

“It’s like Ziaul Haq’s referendum,” he remarked.

Except for some minor brawls and sporadic firing of shots in the air around polling stations, the exercise remained peaceful.

However, some polling agents hinted at the use of fake ID cards at certain women polling stations. They included Govt Girls High School Shahbuddin, Superior Science College, Gulshan Rehman Colony, Edward’s School, Kohati Chowk, Wazir Bagh, Rasheed Garhi and Landi Arbab near Ring Road.

The police arrested Arif, Naib Nazim of union council Landi Arbab, on a complaint lodged by his UC Nazim, Naushad Khan. Arif, who belongs to PPP, was accused of resorting to aerial firing.

Because of the voter apathy, the main supporters of various candidates stayed calm and silent. There was no rush nor big queues in the old city area. Some of the candidates indulged in the dirty business of vote-buying after lunch hours.

The going rate was reported to be Rs200 per vote, which surged to Rs500 in the closing moments.

Besides European Union, Commonwealth and Saarc observers, some Chinese diplomats were also seen at various polling stations. The European observers were escorted by army jawans to different city polling stations. Being unfamiliar with the exercise, they mainly interviewed the polling staff about the elections process.

There was more enthusiasm in Bara, Khyber Agency, where women had been deprived of using their right of franchise. “We all have decided not to get our women’s vote polled,” said Maulana Khalil-ur-Rehman, an MMA candidate for NA-46, Tribal Area.

There were long queues outside men’s polling stations in Bara. But women polling stations, where election staff was waiting for voters, wore a deserted look throughout Khyber Agency.

The wealthy tribal elders, who have been edged out of the current race, had fielded either their sons or other relatives, and poured huge money on the electioneering. The vote-buying business also thrived there.

“Here the rates are high,” said Akbar Khan outside a polling station in Sholber, Bara.