SWABI: Commuters on Wednesday faced difficulties in finding public transport in Swabi district as the contesting candidates have hired the buses and coaches for facilitating voters on the Election Day.

The polling staff also faced difficulties in reaching the designated places for election duty.

People wanting to travel to Islamabad and Peshawar and elsewhere faced inconvenience as no public transport vehicle was available at general bus stand, and they had go back to their homes frustrated. Wajid Ali, who wanted to go to Islamabad to meet a sick relative, said he couldn’t get a public transport vehicle to travel to the federal capital.

It was learnt that election candidates had hired the transport vehicles a week ago for bringing the voters to and from the polling stations. The candidates said that they had paid the transporters in advance.

Due to non-availability of public transport, rickshaw drivers got an opportunity to fleece people.

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2024