RAWALPINDI, Jan 14: About 231,962 voters will cast their votes in the NA-56 by-elections here on Wednesday. The seat was vacated by Federal Minister of Information and Media Development Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.
The election authorities have set up 223 polling stations with 555 booths in the constituency. Polling would start from 8am and conclude at 5pm. The results are expected late in the night or the following day.
About 23 polling stations have been declared sensitive and the local administration has taken all possible measures to pre- empt any untoward incident. The district government has set up two control rooms, one each in district courts and police lines to monitor the electoral process and control any possible disturbance. The district coordination officer, Amjad Ali Toor, has declared public holiday in the areas falling in the NA-56 and PP-8.
The major parties in the running are Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarian, Pakistan Muslim League-Q and Muttahida Majlise Amal (MMA). The candidates are Yusuf Mirza (PPP), Hanif Abbasi (MMA) and Sheikh Rashid Shafique (PML-Q).
Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehrike Insaaf is supporting the MMA nominee. The PML-N’s case is rather interesting; its leadership has announced support for the PPP candidate following an ARD arrangement, but the workers and the local leaders are supporting the MMA.
Going by the election campaign, the PML-Q enjoys an edge over the other competitors in the field. Hanif Abbassi of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) vows to make Pakistan a true Islamic state, opposes General Musharraf’s support to the US-led “war on terror”, pledges to better the living conditions of the common man and opposes the LFO and a president in uniform.
The PPP’s Mirza Yusuf believes the by-polls are a challenge to the opposition parties. Throughout his election campaign, he has emphasised restoration of the 1973 Constitution in its essence and improvement in the civic facilities in the city.
The PML-Q’s Rashid Shafiq has been lucky that his campaign was fully patronised by the government, and both prime minister and the chief minister visited the city to address his election rallies. They not only announced construction of about dozen education institutions, a hospital and improving the roads, streets and sewerage system but also promised development funds for the city to the tune of Rs150 million at its election campaign.
The voter turn-out is expected to be low, as people residing in this constituency usually go to their offices in Islamabad and other parts of Rawalpindi city where it would be a working day.
