PTI, JI supporters reach polling stations in Islamabad only to find them locked

ISLAMABAD: Some voters, mostly belonging to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), reached polling stations on Saturday, only to find the gates of educational institutions, in which polling stations had to be set up, locked.

They criticised the coalition government and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for not holding the elections.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday had directed the ECP to hold the local government (LG) elections in the capital on Dec 31, setting aside its notification on the postponement of the polls.

The verdict was pronounced by IHC Justice Arbab Mohammad Tahir, who was hearing identical petitions filed by the PTI and JI against the ECP’s decision announced earlier this week.

However, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had already said the federal government would file an intra-court appeal against the verdict as it was not possible to hold the elections at such a short notice.

He had said there were around 1,000 polling stations and it would be difficult to even depute security staff there.

Similarly, sources in the ECP had said it was impossible to move thousands of staff, assign them duties and transport ballot papers in one day.

PTI leader Amir Mughal told Dawn that party workers reached the polling stations early in the morning and made queues to cast votes, but even the ECP staff did not turn up.

“Gates of educational institutions, in which polling stations had to be established, were locked and there was no one to inform them at what time the polling would start,” he said.

PTI Secretary General Asad Umar said the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) was trying to establish a government in which there should be democracy without elections.

He warned that there could be severe consequences of such steps, adding that Pakistan could only progress after free and fair elections.

Former human rights minister Shireen Mazari also criticised postponement of elections.

“If there was even an iota of doubt as to ECP bias it stands exposed as ECP commits contempt of court to please cabal of crooks & Conspirators by not allowing LG elections polling today despite IHC order,” she tweeted.

PTI Islamabad President Ali Nawaz Awan and MNA Raja Khurram Nawaz visited different areas and expressed solidarity with the voters.

Talking to mediapersons, Mr Awan said it was understandable as to why the government and the ECP were hesitant to hold the elections in the federal capital.

“The government has failed to hold local bodies elections even in the area of 27km. I would say the ECP is incompetent and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja should resign. If the court can remove a prime minister for not writing a letter, it should also remove the CEC,” he said.

Raja Khurram Nawaz said the law regarding 125 union councils (UCs) was yet to be enacted as it required the president’s nod.

Last month the parliament in a joint sitting passed a bill to increase the number of UCs in Islamabad from 101 to 125.

However, former PML-N legislator Tariq Fazal Chaudhry spoke in favour of the postponement of the elections. He told media that as legislation had been made to increase the number of UCs, elections should be held on 125 seats.

“The opposition should wait for a while; elections will be held soon. The results of the elections will prove who is more popular in the federal capital,” he added.

Shehroz Khan, a JI supporter, told Dawn that after the IHC’s decision, he and other workers spent the whole night convincing people to vote for JI candidates.

“However, we were really disappointed when we came to know that the polling would not be held despite the court’s decision,” he said.