Wali Mohammad Babbar, 56, former member of Thatta district council, suffered a cardiac arrest and died on his way to hospital after a scuffle broke out among PML and PPP activists, which led to aerial firing followed by stampede and left four PPP workers Sohrab Marri, Dr. Javed Rajpar, Mujeebur Rehman and a polling agent Sattar Brohi injured at a combined polling station-62 (PS) in Budhapur.
Eye-witnesses said that a Ghulam Nabi Khoso who was accompanying Malik Changez used abusive language against Murad Ali Shah, which led to fist fighting before someone fired in the air. Polling remained suspended for over an hour.
Deputy opposition leader Makhdoom Jamiluz Zaman refused to leave the area and said they would not leave before the ministers too were asked to go. "Gunmen aimed their guns at Qaim Ali Shah after firing on Dr. Azra’s vehicle but luckily she escaped unhurt. Our agents were forced to leave," he said.
PPP leaders, Sindh ministers and advisers and district nazim had descended on the combined PS-62 set up in the Government Boys Primary School Budhapur in Manjhand taluka, which was the scene of the scuffle.
Around 233 votes were polled at two polling booths out of 532 registered votes by 2.15 pm while 63 votes were cast out of 454 at one female polling station.
Presiding Officer Shafiq Memon had closed polling in the absence of female polling agent of PPP but DCO asked him to resume polling because voters were still present there.
Polling remained suspended at Site area's PS-22 (female) Murad Samoon Boys School when PO Parveen Akhtar was reportedly asked by Sindh Minister Ali Bux Shah not to allow old NICs. The minister, however, denied he ordered the polling stopped.
District Returning Officer (DRO) Mohammad Ishaque Memon visited the PS-22 and handed over an unauthorised voter to SP investigation Ahmed Khan but he managed to flee from his custody. "Why are you sitting here when you can't even hold one man," the DRO said angrily to SP.
Acting DCO Akbar Leghari was at the residence of Pir Zaman Shah Jillani, CM's special assistant after polling was over.
Many complaints were received about electoral rolls. "Voter lists were defective as they didn't contain right particulars. Women didn't have computerised NICs. Turnout at these PSs is hardly 14 to 15 per cent," said MPA Dr. Mahrin Bhutto after visiting polling stations in Kotri.
MNA Shagufta Jumani said that she knew some voters from Matiari and Odero Lal area who cast votes at PS-55 and PS-56 as they were registered in both the areas.
The combined PS-61 Unnarpur at the Government Boys High School was another troubled spot where polling had to be suspended. "Dozens of outsiders entered the PS, snatched ballots from assistant PO Mohammad Saleem and stuffed them (with ballot papers)," said PO Allah Dino Channa.
Around 389 votes were polled by 3.0 pm out of 1,149 registered votes.
PPP's polling agent Ghulam Qadir submitted an application to PO stating that Sindh Minister Altaf Unnar and Malik Changez barged into PS, thrashed him and did not let their voters cast votes.
"Unnar told me to behave when I asked him that he is not supposed to enter a polling station," said PPP MPA Ali Nawaz Shah Rizvi.
There were reports of bickering between PML Sindh women wing president and MPA Afshan Imran and Sindh PPP women wing president and MNA Shagufta Jumani at A. D. Baloch Boys School in Nago lane over some papers missing from electoral rolls leading to suspension of polling for 30 minutes. By 4.10 pm 496 votes were polled out of 886 showing almost 50 per cent turnout.