LAHORE, Oct 10: No major law and order situation was reported except for some sporadic clashes in the city that went to the polls on Thursday.
Contrary to the decision taken by the Punjab administration that the army jawans would be in reserves and would be called out only in case of an emergency, troops patrolled the city roads. Similarly, heavy police contingents took their positions from dawn on roads, inside and around polling stations and other sensitive points, such as places of worship, foreign missions and their installations.
At least 15 people were wounded in poll-related incidents in various parts of the city.
Four people were injured when the workers of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and the PML (Q) clashed over setting up an election camp outside a polling station in Baghbanpura in NA-119. Seven people from both the groups were taken into custody by the area police. They were, however, set free when they refused to proceed.
Three people sustained minor injuries when two groups clashed in the Cantonment area in NA-125. Polling was suspended for sometime but resumed after both the parties had reportedly settled the issue.
Eight people received injuries when workers of two parties pelted each other with bricks in a village near the Wagah border in NA-128. Those injured were taken to a nearby hospital.
Vote counting remained suspended for one-and-a-half-hours at a polling station in the Defence Housing Society that falls into PP-155. Alleged support of the government machinery to the PML-Q was said to have caused suspension of the counting.
“We were asked to receive unsigned copies of results when defeat of the PML-QA candidate became visible,” Nadira Sabahuddin, a polling agent for Qasim Zia of the People’s Party Parliamentarians told Dawn by phone.
She alleged that police had harassed her and the polling agents of other candidates except for the PML-Q and had attempted to make them receive the unsigned copies. “We strongly objected to it and succeeded to get the signed copies after the intervention of candidates concerned.”
Polling was suspended for sometime at Dyal Singh College on Nisbat Road in Gowalmandi when two women attempted to cast fake votes. Both the women were caught and handed over to police. Minor clashes were reported in Ichhra, Faisal Town and Hanjarwal localities but were settled soon and nobody was injured.
Lahore DPO Javed Noor told Dawn that no major incident had been reported in the city. “The minor clashes don’t matter as they did not disturb polling anywhere. We are trying to make it a peaceful end.”
Plain-clothes police and intelligence agencies’ men mingled with the voters at the polling stations and other busy places and markets in city. Men from the Punjab police special branch dispersed people wherever they found a gathering of 10 or more people.
Some 12,000 people from the Pakistan Qaumi Razakar, Janbaz Force and other departments, hired for the polling day, also performed their duties. The vote count continued till the filing of this report at 8pm. — Reporter