Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
29 May 2015
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Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
30 May 2015
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
May 31 2015
KP - Local Body Election on 31 st March 2015
KP - Local Body Election on 31 st March 2015
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Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Express Tribune Coverage
KP - Local Body Election on 31 st March 2015
Can ‘change’ replace ‘roti, kapra, makaan’?
PESHAWAR: Town-I has always been considered a stronghold of Pakistan Peoples Party but in 2013 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf managed to gain an upper hand in the region.
Many believe PTI’s popularity during the previous polls was a short-lived trend and voters are likely to be more realistic about who they throw their weight behind. Yet, analysts feel PTI will make a clean sweep as party workers are taking the electioneering process seriously.
But will party loyalty overtake personal networking in areas like Yakatoot, Gulbahar or Ander Sheher?
Big fancy cars
“The local government elections are going to be held on a micro or mohallah level,” Ajmal Afridi, a resident of Gulbahar tells The Express Tribune. “I don’t think political parties are so involved at this level.” According to Afridi, the personal charm of candidates will be more important in the polls.
“Money, large vehicles and family background are likely to play a pivotal role, not a party’s position,” he explains. “This is because neighbourhood councils are fairly small. I think this will give all contestants a fair chance to win the polls.”
Mateen Khan, another resident, claims the outcome of the polls depends more on the efforts of individual candidates rather than the party they belong to.
“Some aspirants who were allotted tickets by political parties do not want to mention their party affiliations during the electioneering process,” Khan explains. “Many of them fear this will discourage voters who do not support their party’s agenda from voting for them.”
Party lines
Badshah Gul, a resident of Lahori Gate, has a different view.
“I think people will vote for PTI just because they are in power,” he says. “People would prefer having councillors from the ruling party so their problems can be addressed easily. This is likely to be a decisive factor in the outcome of the polls.”
Gul believes PTI and Jamaat-e-Islami candidates have an advantage over aspirants from other parties.
“The urban areas of the city are mostly dominated by PPP and ANP,” he says. “But they are likely to have low prospects in the LG elections.”
Run for its money
This is the first time PTI is contesting LG elections in the provincial capital. At this critical juncture, the party is grappling with the daunting challenge of defeating the tripartite alliance of opposition parties. As a result, it has gone an extra mile to give its rivals a run for its money.
PTI has set up an election camp in Bilal Town, Gulbahar for its aspirant for the general councillor seat from UC-9, Qasim Ali Shah.
However, PTI’s rivals have also redoubled efforts to restore their previous standing.
Town-I fell to ANP and PPP in the 2002 and 2005, respectively. This time, both parties have aligned against PTI with considerable support from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl.
Defeating the newcomer
A senior ANP leader tells The Express Tribune voting patterns have changed significantly following PTI’s growing popularity in the region.
Nonetheless, ANP City District President Malik Ghulam Mustafa is optimistic his party will sail to a win. “PTI’s growing popularity has dented PPP, which is our ally,” he says. “About 70% of PPP workers have left for PTI. ANP has lost 10% to 20% of its workers to the party.”
However, Mustafa feels the tripartite alliance will give PTI a tough time in the elections.
“Although I cannot say we will make a clean sweep in the polls, we will somewhat diminish PTI’s popularity,” he adds.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, Qasim Ali Shah says PTI was initially intimidated by the alliance.
“However, once we started campaigning, we realised we did not need to worry about them too much,” he explains. Shah, and PTI, is optimistic about winning the polls.
A walk down memory lane
Town-I and other three towns of the province’s only city district government were first carved for the 2002 LG polls under General (retd) Pervez Musharraf. Initially, the town comprised 25 urban union councils and had an estimated population of 775,278. However, under the 2014 delimitation, boundaries were redrawn as union councils were reduced in size and turned into smaller neighbourhood and wards.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 29[SUP]th[/SUP], 2015.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/893972/can-change-replace-roti-kapra-makaan/
Skardu electioneering: G-B people aren’t a ‘saleable commodity’, says Imran
GILGIT-BALTISTAN: The head of Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan on Thursday reprimanded the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz for announcing development funds ahead of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) elections, saying people of the region are not a “saleable commodity”.
“Mian sahib [Premier Nawaz] G-B is inhabited by humans, they aren’t a saleable commodity like those in Ittefaq Foundry,” he told his party workers during an election rally in Skardu’s Municipal Stadium on Thursday.
In a scathing attack on PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Imran asked them to explain why they had kept their assets and money in offshore banks and foreign countries if they were sincere with the country.
He advised people to ask political parties a few questions before casting their ballots in favour of them. “Ask parties a few questions before deciding to vote,” the PTI chief told an overwhelmed crowd. “Ask them why they take part in politics when they don’t bring their money back to the country. Why they avoid devolving powers to people at grassroots level? If they are able to satisfy you, go ahead and vote for them.”
In a swipe at the ruling PML-N and previous PPP-led government, he said those who ruled the country thrice didn’t do anything for the masses.
While commending his own party’s government in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), Imran said his government is holding local body elections in K-P to introduce “real democracy”.
Since G-B has potential for power generation PTI will construct small dams like it has done in K-P for the benefit of people, he said, adding that G-B is more beautiful than Switzerland but the resources couldn’t be capitalised due to absence of real democracy. “I’m aware of the situation in G-B but that’s going to change now.”
The PTI chairman said he was happy to interact with G-B people and for that he had waited almost 19 years. “G-B will benefit the most from the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor project,” he told the gathering.
According to him, 2015 will be an election year and PTI will form the government after polls in the country.
In the wake of the third cancellation of flights in recent days, Imran Khan along with his wife Reham Khan, Chaudhry Sarwar Khan and Sayed Zulqarnain Shah flew off to Skardu town by a private aircraft to campaign for his party ahead of the June 8 G-B legislative assembly elections.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 29[SUP]th[/SUP], 2015.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/894055/skardu-electioneering-g-b-people-arent-a-saleable-commodity-says-imran/
Women of all ages have come out in large numbers in Swat Koza Bandai at girls school to vote for #LGPolls. Universal suffrage knows no age!
Playing by the rules: K-P’s devolution of power begins today
PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Election Commission has directed political parties and independent candidates to strictly abide by the code of conduct for local government polls on election day. On Friday it asked aspirants to abstain from further campaigning for which the deadline expired on May 28.
“The election commission will take action against political parties and candidates if they campaign or violate the code of conduct on polling day,” Election Commission of Pakistan K-P Public Relations Officer Sohail Ahmad told The Express Tribune. He said election material such as ballot boxes, ballots and other particulars had been sent to 11,211 polling stations on Friday morning.
Local government elections in K-P are being contested by 84,420 candidates for 41,762 seats. Each voter will have the opportunity to cast seven different ballots; , the EC has directed officials to ensure proper discipline in the stations to avoid any confusion. The aim is to conduct polls in a peaceful manner to allow everyone to exercise their right to vote. According to the ECP’s data, there are also 3,339 seats for minorities in K-P, but only 349 candidates are contesting. Moreover, there are a total of 503 neighbourhood and 2,836 village councils for which the election would be held on a non-party basis, while polls on the district and tehsil level would be party-based.
Use of vehicles
The election commission also clarified rules about the use of private vehicles by candidates to pick and drop voters.
“There is nothing in the law that states voters can be given pick and drop facilities by candidates or political parties,” said Sohail Ahmad. “Candidates and voters should keep this in mind as it can influence the elections.” The commission PRO said all elected representatives and government officials will not be allowed to visit polling stations or conduct development work during the election process. Any such actions would be considered a violation of the code of conduct.
‘Women’s votes must count’
In parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, women have either been stopped from voting or are reluctant to exercise this constitutional right. In areas such as Swat, jirgas were reportedly held to prevent them from casting their ballots.
As a counter measure, the election commission has issued strict orders to candidates to encourage, support and facilitate women voters. According to official data, there are 5,638,619 women voters in the province for whom 3,428 polling stations had been established.
“Women cannot be stopped from casting their vote,” said K-P Minister for Information Mushtaq Ghani. He added strict action would be taken against those denying their constitutional and democratic right.
A roaring success
Ghani said holding local government elections and transferring power to the grass-roots level was the biggest success of the current regime. “The government is fully prepared for LG elections; this is a precious gift to the people of the province as they can now take decisions for themselves.”
On call, on time
Peshawar Deputy Commissioner and District Returning Officer Riaz Mehsud said on Friday that strict action would be taken against officials who are absent from polling duty.
According to a notification, police would take action against absent officials under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance.
Power outages to continue
The Peshawar Electric Supply Company has refrained from announcing a power outage exemption during the local government polls.
When approached, company spokesperson Shaukat Afzal confirmed no such plans are under consideration. “We have already exempted 126 feeders from load-shedding. We have also reduced outage duration by two hours on 219 feeders across K-P,” he said.
He added the company is already facing losses of billions of rupees on a daily basis. While load-shedding will be carried out on regular hours , rain and thunderstorms are predicted for the day.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 30[SUP]th[/SUP], 2015.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/894417/playing-by-the-rules-k-ps-devolution-of-power-begins-today/
Our reporter @razakhattak calculates it takes voters over 5 minutes to cast 7 ballots; #Peshawar Town-II voters irked by slow pace #LGPolls
Devolution begins: LG polls end with violence, allegations
MARDAN / DI KHAN / CHARSADDA / KARAK / NOWSHERA / PESHAWAR: Devolution of power under a democratically-elected government took place for the first time in the history of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Even as the intricate process of devolving authority and governance is yet to be made official, the much-awaited, much-touted and much criticised polls came to a hairy end by the evening of May 30, leaving at least 11 dead and over 35 injured across the province.
The fatalities were a result of sporadic violence in the province as the government and the ECP engaged in an indirect blame game, accusing each other of mismanagement.
In some districts, voters were left unsatisfied as polling came to a close before they could make it inside the station. In other areas, voting started late. Candidates were left with a bitter aftertaste as some of them were left out of ballot papers.
High turnout, slow voting
Thousands in the provincial capital flocked to polling stations after breakfast, even those who were initially reluctant to participate.
Yet missing symbols on ballot papers, delayed starts at polling stations and a lack of transport slowed things down considerably. Then voters saw the seven ballot papers they had to cast and the day crawled at a snail’s pace. Each voter took anywhere between six and 16 minutes to cast their votes.
#Womenvote
Women, who are often left nameless and voiceless, managed to come out and vote, but not everywhere and not nearly enough in numbers.
A jirga in Battagram banned women from voting, while only a few women in Dir voted, according to observers. Peshawar saw a large turnout which polling stations were not equipped to handle. As a result, brawls and mismanagement were the order of the day at women stations.
Swat also saw a decent turnout, but not in tehsils like Kabal.
Election violence
At least eight were killed in Charsadda, two in DI Khan and one in Kohat in various showdowns.
In addition, violence left dozens injured in Peshawar. Talking to The Express Tribune, Lady Reading Hospital Spokesperson Syed Jamal Shah confirmed 29 people were moved to Lady Reading Hospital and the condition of one child, who was crushed by a vehicle on election duty, was serious, while the others were stable.
Three people were injured outside Government High School for Boys No4 when unidentified people started firing around 1pm. “Everything is under control; several people have been arrested on suspicion,” said an official of Yakatoot police station. He added the CCPO and SSP operations were checking security arrangements personally.
Over in Shagai Hindkyan village of Mathra, two people were stabbed when political parties clashed. PTI worker Sher Ali Khan and ANP’s Tahir Khan were rushed to the hospital where their condition was said to be stable.
By the same token in Nasapa village, PTI and PPP supporters clashed which soon resulted in an exchange of fire at a women’s polling station. “At least three women were injured in the stampede which followed,” said a Khazana police officer.
Districts
In Rashakai, Nowshera, unidentified assailants opened fire at a polling station and later torched election material, sending the presiding officers running to save their skin.
Polling was halted in Misri Bhanda, Gaju Khel, and Gandap polling stations as independent candidates brawled.
Unidentified armed men broke into two polling stations in Toru, Mardan and took away ballot boxes and election material.
Two were injured in Bannu during a brawl between independent candidates in Mandan UC while five others were injured in firing in Wapda Colony. Security forces were called in.
On the outskirts of Karak district, unidentified culprits attacked multiple polling stations and took away ballot boxes along with other election material.
Candidates torched two polling stations in Gandi and Shaheedan, however, no cases were filed against them.
Rigging
In the middle of the day, polling stopped at Nasapa Payan polling station in the city after Jamaat-e-Islami activists claimed Pakistan Peoples Party workers were forcing women to vote in PPP’s favour. According to JI activists, former MPA Malik Tehmash Khan had allegedly entered the polling station for this purpose.
Clashes erupted between PTI and tripartite alliance workers over rigging allegations in Matta Mughul Khel, Shabqadar. As a result, polling came to a halt for a few hours.
Awami National Party workers stopped polling at a station in Shabqadar MC2 over alleged rigging by a PTI polling agent. Similarly, a police constable was found with a polling stamp he was using for PTI.
Another scuffle broke out between PTI and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz workers at a school in Lachra, DI Khan over rigging. As a result, the polling process temporarily stopped but was eventually resumed.
Meanwhile, workers from various political parties tore ballot papers and damaged property at Government Girls Secondary School Rashakai in Nowshera over fake votes.
Nowshera DC suspended polling in various polling stations in the city and decided to hold re-elections in these areas.
Behind bars
Police arrested three people who were casting fake votes for a candidate on a general councillor seat at Government Girls Primary School in Hayatabad, Phase III. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl candidate in Charsadda Mufti Gohar Ali was arrested for breaching law and order.
SSP Operations Mian Saeed registered 16 FIRs and police arrested 45 people from across Peshawar district for attacking police officials and taking polling staff hostage.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 31[SUP]st[/SUP], 2015.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/894978/devolution-begins-lg-polls-end-with-violence-allegations/
Voting pride: Women’s suffrage makes a wobbly recovery
SHABQADAR / SWAT / TANK / HARIPUR / PESHAWAR: Thousands of women came out to vote for their favoured candidates yet certain—some predictable—areas still saw reason to prevent women’s suffrage. Women in Peshawar could be seen queuing up across the district, undeterred by the heat or the mismanagement at polling stations.
Even a spattering of violence and brawls did not cause women voters to leave. Yet, the ‘second sex’ in Dir, Swat, Charsadda and other districts was less than lucky. In some places, online reports emerged of men in burqas trying to vote at women polling stations.
Different election, same story
Much like the recent by-polls in Lower Dir, cultural restraints and possible under-the-table manoeuvring kept mostly women voters at home despite the backlash against political parties. They allegedly reached an agreement to bar women from voting in the by-polls in the area and the poor turnout for local government elections gives credence to this belief.
There were about 13 women’s polling stations and 329 joint polling stations in the district. There was polling staff and security deployment at women’s polling stations, all waiting for voters, but they seemed to be the only ones occupying that space.
Activist Shad Begum, who was in Dir, reported on Twitter that no women voted in Lal Qila tehsil in Lower Dir. A handful of women showed up at polling stations in Timergara, Mian Kalay and Balambat, she said.
Professor Luqman Taimur told The Express Tribune his daughter Mushka Taimur and her friend Anila Sarwat voted for the first time in their lives. Luqman said they went to a joint polling station in the area.
He said there were only two women polling stations were set up in the entire PK-95 constituency limits. He added most of the polling stations were joint – a source of discouragement for many women.
Chakdarra Assistant Commissioner Zahid Warriach told The Express Tribune that all arrangements had been made for women to vote, but authorities could not force somebody to come out. “We cannot do anything if women do not come out to vote,” Warriach said.
There are 240,000 women voters in Lower Dir district out of a total of 590,000 people.
Safyan, an employee of Shirkat Gah, visited polling stations in Mayar, Gosam, Khazana, Kotky and Tor Qila of Lower Dir. He said women were reluctant to come out to exercise their constitutional right and came out in very small numbers.
Safyan said they were unable to find out any proof of an agreement between political parties and whatever arrangement there is seems to be verbal.
Mismanaged Peshawar
At almost every women’s polling station, save a few in University Town, Hayatabad and some other areas in Peshawar, there was complete mismanagement, allegations, quarrels, and constant interruptions in the electoral process. Subinspector Mukamil Khan, “We don’t have woman police officials to regulate this crowd.” The K-P police lacks women officers; policemen were deployed who left voters to settle their issues among themselves, he added.
In Pakha Ghulam, women voters even occupied the table of the presiding officers. “It is the PTI women who have snatched ballots from voters and stamped it,” alleged Naheed, a woman voter
Nargis Perveen, the presiding officer there, told The Express Tribunethat 1,915 women’s votes were registered “I have been accused of rigging and supporting the PTI,” she said. “I have stopped the polling in protest as I belong to an honourable family and am merely performing my duty here,” Perveen added.
Men doing women’s jobs
Women came out to vote in greater numbers in urban Swat while fewer showed up in rural areas.
In Jurah, Matta tehsil, there were long queues of women, but polling staff was absent. A significant portion of women did not vote in Kabal tehsil, while a jirga decided to bar them from voting in some areas of Odegarama.
Verbal agreement
Women were barred from voting in Nara Amazai UC of Haripur. A district council candidate told The Express Tribune all seven polling stations of the UC were declared off limits for women following a verbal agreement between candidates.
“As many as 3,000 women were denied the basic right,” he said.
When approached, district returning officer Humayun Khan said he is still gathering information and will share details at a later stage.
Not a single vote was cast by women of the Sarangzona UC of the district. “No jirga or cleric has barred women from voting. It is a usual norm in our part of the world,” said elder Zoman Mehsud while talking to The Express Tribune. Following a brawl between locals and the police, the women’s polling station in Kari Umar Khan area was also padlocked.
Banning suffrage
The women’s polling station in Luchra UC of DI Khan was also shut down after workers from PTI and PML-N gathered outside the station, hurling abuses and accusing each other of rigging. Paharor polling station, reserved for women, remained unmanned with no polling staff present.
Pahar Khel and Khero Khel Pakka were two areas of Lakki Marwat district where women were barred from voting. In Khan Khel, out of the four candidates vying for a seat, three agreed in principle over the ban. However the fourth election hopeful protested, forcing security officials to intervene.
Talking to The Express Tribune, in Battagram Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl candidate Quddus Khan said a jirga unanimously decided to keep women from voting in Kass Qalandar village council. “About 250 to 300 women were deprived of the right to vote,” he added.
Despite the dominant tribal order in Torghar district, women voters were taken to polling stations by candidates who walked them through the polling process.
Vote at your peril
Qalandar Khan, who was outside a polling station in Charsadda, said women have been allowed to vote, but the system was designed to discourage them. There are no facilities inside the polling station such as drinking water, shade or even electricity. In some cases, the women are uneducated and therefore misguided by the polling agents. However, there was a fair showing of women in the region.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 31[SUP]st[/SUP], 2015.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/895126/voting-pride-womens-suffrage-makes-a-wobbly-recovery/
Undefeated spirit: Youngest ‘voter’ walks miles to support his Kaptaan
PESHAWAR: He’s only in class two but his love for one particular party is so strong that he walked for miles in the scorching summer heat to reach Kohati Gate – just to show his support.
Eleven-year-old Hussain studies in Pakha Ghulam, on the outskirts of the city. When he woke up on May 30, the day of the local government elections, he pinned his dozen or so Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf badges on his clothes, took out his PTI flag and started walking towards Kohati Gate. Even in the sweltering heat which caused voters twice his age to faint, Hussain had draped another party flag around his body.
Hussain knows he cannot vote, but he does not care. “I walked as I have no money to pay for a taxi or a bus,” he said.
His long journey to the city was not in the heat of the moment, propelled by election day fervour; Hussain said he would “campaign for his party” regularly. On most days after school, he would walk to different parts of the provincial capital to campaign. The young supporter added, “For the last two months, I carry my PTI flag and walk everywhere.”
He added, “I work for my party and Imran Khan.”
Hussain explained he was the second of four siblings. His elder brother Farid sells vegetables and the other two are minors. “My father is a taxi driver and drives a Khyber car.”
His election prediction? “PTI is going to win all these elections.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 31[SUP]st[/SUP], 2015.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/894976/...est-voter-walks-miles-to-support-his-kaptaan/
#KPLGE2015: 81 incidents of violence reported from 19 districts, indicating highly tense political environment on election day. @_FAFEN
#KPLGE2015: @_FAFEN also obsrved 19 incidents of polling station capture by supporters of parties/candidates in 9 districts. 26% in Haripur.
n 63 other wards women were disenfranchised in at least one polling station due to systematic or institutional issues. @_FAFEN report
KP - Local Body Election on 31 st March 2015
Can ‘change’ replace ‘roti, kapra, makaan’?
PESHAWAR: Town-I has always been considered a stronghold of Pakistan Peoples Party but in 2013 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf managed to gain an upper hand in the region.
Many believe PTI’s popularity during the previous polls was a short-lived trend and voters are likely to be more realistic about who they throw their weight behind. Yet, analysts feel PTI will make a clean sweep as party workers are taking the electioneering process seriously.
But will party loyalty overtake personal networking in areas like Yakatoot, Gulbahar or Ander Sheher?
Big fancy cars
“The local government elections are going to be held on a micro or mohallah level,” Ajmal Afridi, a resident of Gulbahar tells The Express Tribune. “I don’t think political parties are so involved at this level.” According to Afridi, the personal charm of candidates will be more important in the polls.
“Money, large vehicles and family background are likely to play a pivotal role, not a party’s position,” he explains. “This is because neighbourhood councils are fairly small. I think this will give all contestants a fair chance to win the polls.”
Mateen Khan, another resident, claims the outcome of the polls depends more on the efforts of individual candidates rather than the party they belong to.
“Some aspirants who were allotted tickets by political parties do not want to mention their party affiliations during the electioneering process,” Khan explains. “Many of them fear this will discourage voters who do not support their party’s agenda from voting for them.”
Party lines
Badshah Gul, a resident of Lahori Gate, has a different view.
“I think people will vote for PTI just because they are in power,” he says. “People would prefer having councillors from the ruling party so their problems can be addressed easily. This is likely to be a decisive factor in the outcome of the polls.”
Gul believes PTI and Jamaat-e-Islami candidates have an advantage over aspirants from other parties.
“The urban areas of the city are mostly dominated by PPP and ANP,” he says. “But they are likely to have low prospects in the LG elections.”
Run for its money
This is the first time PTI is contesting LG elections in the provincial capital. At this critical juncture, the party is grappling with the daunting challenge of defeating the tripartite alliance of opposition parties. As a result, it has gone an extra mile to give its rivals a run for its money.
PTI has set up an election camp in Bilal Town, Gulbahar for its aspirant for the general councillor seat from UC-9, Qasim Ali Shah.
However, PTI’s rivals have also redoubled efforts to restore their previous standing.
Town-I fell to ANP and PPP in the 2002 and 2005, respectively. This time, both parties have aligned against PTI with considerable support from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl.
Defeating the newcomer
A senior ANP leader tells The Express Tribune voting patterns have changed significantly following PTI’s growing popularity in the region.
Nonetheless, ANP City District President Malik Ghulam Mustafa is optimistic his party will sail to a win. “PTI’s growing popularity has dented PPP, which is our ally,” he says. “About 70% of PPP workers have left for PTI. ANP has lost 10% to 20% of its workers to the party.”
However, Mustafa feels the tripartite alliance will give PTI a tough time in the elections.
“Although I cannot say we will make a clean sweep in the polls, we will somewhat diminish PTI’s popularity,” he adds.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, Qasim Ali Shah says PTI was initially intimidated by the alliance.
“However, once we started campaigning, we realised we did not need to worry about them too much,” he explains. Shah, and PTI, is optimistic about winning the polls.
A walk down memory lane
Town-I and other three towns of the province’s only city district government were first carved for the 2002 LG polls under General (retd) Pervez Musharraf. Initially, the town comprised 25 urban union councils and had an estimated population of 775,278. However, under the 2014 delimitation, boundaries were redrawn as union councils were reduced in size and turned into smaller neighbourhood and wards.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 29[SUP]th[/SUP], 2015.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/893972/can-change-replace-roti-kapra-makaan/
Skardu electioneering: G-B people aren’t a ‘saleable commodity’, says Imran
GILGIT-BALTISTAN: The head of Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan on Thursday reprimanded the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz for announcing development funds ahead of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) elections, saying people of the region are not a “saleable commodity”.
“Mian sahib [Premier Nawaz] G-B is inhabited by humans, they aren’t a saleable commodity like those in Ittefaq Foundry,” he told his party workers during an election rally in Skardu’s Municipal Stadium on Thursday.
In a scathing attack on PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Imran asked them to explain why they had kept their assets and money in offshore banks and foreign countries if they were sincere with the country.
He advised people to ask political parties a few questions before casting their ballots in favour of them. “Ask parties a few questions before deciding to vote,” the PTI chief told an overwhelmed crowd. “Ask them why they take part in politics when they don’t bring their money back to the country. Why they avoid devolving powers to people at grassroots level? If they are able to satisfy you, go ahead and vote for them.”
In a swipe at the ruling PML-N and previous PPP-led government, he said those who ruled the country thrice didn’t do anything for the masses.
While commending his own party’s government in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), Imran said his government is holding local body elections in K-P to introduce “real democracy”.
Since G-B has potential for power generation PTI will construct small dams like it has done in K-P for the benefit of people, he said, adding that G-B is more beautiful than Switzerland but the resources couldn’t be capitalised due to absence of real democracy. “I’m aware of the situation in G-B but that’s going to change now.”
The PTI chairman said he was happy to interact with G-B people and for that he had waited almost 19 years. “G-B will benefit the most from the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor project,” he told the gathering.
According to him, 2015 will be an election year and PTI will form the government after polls in the country.
In the wake of the third cancellation of flights in recent days, Imran Khan along with his wife Reham Khan, Chaudhry Sarwar Khan and Sayed Zulqarnain Shah flew off to Skardu town by a private aircraft to campaign for his party ahead of the June 8 G-B legislative assembly elections.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 29[SUP]th[/SUP], 2015.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/894055/skardu-electioneering-g-b-people-arent-a-saleable-commodity-says-imran/
Women of all ages have come out in large numbers in Swat Koza Bandai at girls school to vote for #LGPolls. Universal suffrage knows no age!
Playing by the rules: K-P’s devolution of power begins today
PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Election Commission has directed political parties and independent candidates to strictly abide by the code of conduct for local government polls on election day. On Friday it asked aspirants to abstain from further campaigning for which the deadline expired on May 28.
“The election commission will take action against political parties and candidates if they campaign or violate the code of conduct on polling day,” Election Commission of Pakistan K-P Public Relations Officer Sohail Ahmad told The Express Tribune. He said election material such as ballot boxes, ballots and other particulars had been sent to 11,211 polling stations on Friday morning.
Local government elections in K-P are being contested by 84,420 candidates for 41,762 seats. Each voter will have the opportunity to cast seven different ballots; , the EC has directed officials to ensure proper discipline in the stations to avoid any confusion. The aim is to conduct polls in a peaceful manner to allow everyone to exercise their right to vote. According to the ECP’s data, there are also 3,339 seats for minorities in K-P, but only 349 candidates are contesting. Moreover, there are a total of 503 neighbourhood and 2,836 village councils for which the election would be held on a non-party basis, while polls on the district and tehsil level would be party-based.
Use of vehicles
The election commission also clarified rules about the use of private vehicles by candidates to pick and drop voters.
“There is nothing in the law that states voters can be given pick and drop facilities by candidates or political parties,” said Sohail Ahmad. “Candidates and voters should keep this in mind as it can influence the elections.” The commission PRO said all elected representatives and government officials will not be allowed to visit polling stations or conduct development work during the election process. Any such actions would be considered a violation of the code of conduct.
‘Women’s votes must count’
In parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, women have either been stopped from voting or are reluctant to exercise this constitutional right. In areas such as Swat, jirgas were reportedly held to prevent them from casting their ballots.
As a counter measure, the election commission has issued strict orders to candidates to encourage, support and facilitate women voters. According to official data, there are 5,638,619 women voters in the province for whom 3,428 polling stations had been established.
“Women cannot be stopped from casting their vote,” said K-P Minister for Information Mushtaq Ghani. He added strict action would be taken against those denying their constitutional and democratic right.
A roaring success
Ghani said holding local government elections and transferring power to the grass-roots level was the biggest success of the current regime. “The government is fully prepared for LG elections; this is a precious gift to the people of the province as they can now take decisions for themselves.”
On call, on time
Peshawar Deputy Commissioner and District Returning Officer Riaz Mehsud said on Friday that strict action would be taken against officials who are absent from polling duty.
According to a notification, police would take action against absent officials under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance.
Power outages to continue
The Peshawar Electric Supply Company has refrained from announcing a power outage exemption during the local government polls.
When approached, company spokesperson Shaukat Afzal confirmed no such plans are under consideration. “We have already exempted 126 feeders from load-shedding. We have also reduced outage duration by two hours on 219 feeders across K-P,” he said.
He added the company is already facing losses of billions of rupees on a daily basis. While load-shedding will be carried out on regular hours , rain and thunderstorms are predicted for the day.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 30[SUP]th[/SUP], 2015.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/894417/playing-by-the-rules-k-ps-devolution-of-power-begins-today/
Our reporter @razakhattak calculates it takes voters over 5 minutes to cast 7 ballots; #Peshawar Town-II voters irked by slow pace #LGPolls
Devolution begins: LG polls end with violence, allegations
MARDAN / DI KHAN / CHARSADDA / KARAK / NOWSHERA / PESHAWAR: Devolution of power under a democratically-elected government took place for the first time in the history of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Even as the intricate process of devolving authority and governance is yet to be made official, the much-awaited, much-touted and much criticised polls came to a hairy end by the evening of May 30, leaving at least 11 dead and over 35 injured across the province.
The fatalities were a result of sporadic violence in the province as the government and the ECP engaged in an indirect blame game, accusing each other of mismanagement.
In some districts, voters were left unsatisfied as polling came to a close before they could make it inside the station. In other areas, voting started late. Candidates were left with a bitter aftertaste as some of them were left out of ballot papers.
High turnout, slow voting
Thousands in the provincial capital flocked to polling stations after breakfast, even those who were initially reluctant to participate.
Yet missing symbols on ballot papers, delayed starts at polling stations and a lack of transport slowed things down considerably. Then voters saw the seven ballot papers they had to cast and the day crawled at a snail’s pace. Each voter took anywhere between six and 16 minutes to cast their votes.
#Womenvote
Women, who are often left nameless and voiceless, managed to come out and vote, but not everywhere and not nearly enough in numbers.
A jirga in Battagram banned women from voting, while only a few women in Dir voted, according to observers. Peshawar saw a large turnout which polling stations were not equipped to handle. As a result, brawls and mismanagement were the order of the day at women stations.
Swat also saw a decent turnout, but not in tehsils like Kabal.
Election violence
At least eight were killed in Charsadda, two in DI Khan and one in Kohat in various showdowns.
In addition, violence left dozens injured in Peshawar. Talking to The Express Tribune, Lady Reading Hospital Spokesperson Syed Jamal Shah confirmed 29 people were moved to Lady Reading Hospital and the condition of one child, who was crushed by a vehicle on election duty, was serious, while the others were stable.
Three people were injured outside Government High School for Boys No4 when unidentified people started firing around 1pm. “Everything is under control; several people have been arrested on suspicion,” said an official of Yakatoot police station. He added the CCPO and SSP operations were checking security arrangements personally.
Over in Shagai Hindkyan village of Mathra, two people were stabbed when political parties clashed. PTI worker Sher Ali Khan and ANP’s Tahir Khan were rushed to the hospital where their condition was said to be stable.
By the same token in Nasapa village, PTI and PPP supporters clashed which soon resulted in an exchange of fire at a women’s polling station. “At least three women were injured in the stampede which followed,” said a Khazana police officer.
Districts
In Rashakai, Nowshera, unidentified assailants opened fire at a polling station and later torched election material, sending the presiding officers running to save their skin.
Polling was halted in Misri Bhanda, Gaju Khel, and Gandap polling stations as independent candidates brawled.
Unidentified armed men broke into two polling stations in Toru, Mardan and took away ballot boxes and election material.
Two were injured in Bannu during a brawl between independent candidates in Mandan UC while five others were injured in firing in Wapda Colony. Security forces were called in.
On the outskirts of Karak district, unidentified culprits attacked multiple polling stations and took away ballot boxes along with other election material.
Candidates torched two polling stations in Gandi and Shaheedan, however, no cases were filed against them.
Rigging
In the middle of the day, polling stopped at Nasapa Payan polling station in the city after Jamaat-e-Islami activists claimed Pakistan Peoples Party workers were forcing women to vote in PPP’s favour. According to JI activists, former MPA Malik Tehmash Khan had allegedly entered the polling station for this purpose.
Clashes erupted between PTI and tripartite alliance workers over rigging allegations in Matta Mughul Khel, Shabqadar. As a result, polling came to a halt for a few hours.
Awami National Party workers stopped polling at a station in Shabqadar MC2 over alleged rigging by a PTI polling agent. Similarly, a police constable was found with a polling stamp he was using for PTI.
Another scuffle broke out between PTI and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz workers at a school in Lachra, DI Khan over rigging. As a result, the polling process temporarily stopped but was eventually resumed.
Meanwhile, workers from various political parties tore ballot papers and damaged property at Government Girls Secondary School Rashakai in Nowshera over fake votes.
Nowshera DC suspended polling in various polling stations in the city and decided to hold re-elections in these areas.
Behind bars
Police arrested three people who were casting fake votes for a candidate on a general councillor seat at Government Girls Primary School in Hayatabad, Phase III. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl candidate in Charsadda Mufti Gohar Ali was arrested for breaching law and order.
SSP Operations Mian Saeed registered 16 FIRs and police arrested 45 people from across Peshawar district for attacking police officials and taking polling staff hostage.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 31[SUP]st[/SUP], 2015.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/894978/devolution-begins-lg-polls-end-with-violence-allegations/
Voting pride: Women’s suffrage makes a wobbly recovery
SHABQADAR / SWAT / TANK / HARIPUR / PESHAWAR: Thousands of women came out to vote for their favoured candidates yet certain—some predictable—areas still saw reason to prevent women’s suffrage. Women in Peshawar could be seen queuing up across the district, undeterred by the heat or the mismanagement at polling stations.
Even a spattering of violence and brawls did not cause women voters to leave. Yet, the ‘second sex’ in Dir, Swat, Charsadda and other districts was less than lucky. In some places, online reports emerged of men in burqas trying to vote at women polling stations.
Different election, same story
Much like the recent by-polls in Lower Dir, cultural restraints and possible under-the-table manoeuvring kept mostly women voters at home despite the backlash against political parties. They allegedly reached an agreement to bar women from voting in the by-polls in the area and the poor turnout for local government elections gives credence to this belief.
There were about 13 women’s polling stations and 329 joint polling stations in the district. There was polling staff and security deployment at women’s polling stations, all waiting for voters, but they seemed to be the only ones occupying that space.
Activist Shad Begum, who was in Dir, reported on Twitter that no women voted in Lal Qila tehsil in Lower Dir. A handful of women showed up at polling stations in Timergara, Mian Kalay and Balambat, she said.
Professor Luqman Taimur told The Express Tribune his daughter Mushka Taimur and her friend Anila Sarwat voted for the first time in their lives. Luqman said they went to a joint polling station in the area.
He said there were only two women polling stations were set up in the entire PK-95 constituency limits. He added most of the polling stations were joint – a source of discouragement for many women.
Chakdarra Assistant Commissioner Zahid Warriach told The Express Tribune that all arrangements had been made for women to vote, but authorities could not force somebody to come out. “We cannot do anything if women do not come out to vote,” Warriach said.
There are 240,000 women voters in Lower Dir district out of a total of 590,000 people.
Safyan, an employee of Shirkat Gah, visited polling stations in Mayar, Gosam, Khazana, Kotky and Tor Qila of Lower Dir. He said women were reluctant to come out to exercise their constitutional right and came out in very small numbers.
Safyan said they were unable to find out any proof of an agreement between political parties and whatever arrangement there is seems to be verbal.
Mismanaged Peshawar
At almost every women’s polling station, save a few in University Town, Hayatabad and some other areas in Peshawar, there was complete mismanagement, allegations, quarrels, and constant interruptions in the electoral process. Subinspector Mukamil Khan, “We don’t have woman police officials to regulate this crowd.” The K-P police lacks women officers; policemen were deployed who left voters to settle their issues among themselves, he added.
In Pakha Ghulam, women voters even occupied the table of the presiding officers. “It is the PTI women who have snatched ballots from voters and stamped it,” alleged Naheed, a woman voter
Nargis Perveen, the presiding officer there, told The Express Tribunethat 1,915 women’s votes were registered “I have been accused of rigging and supporting the PTI,” she said. “I have stopped the polling in protest as I belong to an honourable family and am merely performing my duty here,” Perveen added.
Men doing women’s jobs
Women came out to vote in greater numbers in urban Swat while fewer showed up in rural areas.
In Jurah, Matta tehsil, there were long queues of women, but polling staff was absent. A significant portion of women did not vote in Kabal tehsil, while a jirga decided to bar them from voting in some areas of Odegarama.
Verbal agreement
Women were barred from voting in Nara Amazai UC of Haripur. A district council candidate told The Express Tribune all seven polling stations of the UC were declared off limits for women following a verbal agreement between candidates.
“As many as 3,000 women were denied the basic right,” he said.
When approached, district returning officer Humayun Khan said he is still gathering information and will share details at a later stage.
Not a single vote was cast by women of the Sarangzona UC of the district. “No jirga or cleric has barred women from voting. It is a usual norm in our part of the world,” said elder Zoman Mehsud while talking to The Express Tribune. Following a brawl between locals and the police, the women’s polling station in Kari Umar Khan area was also padlocked.
Banning suffrage
The women’s polling station in Luchra UC of DI Khan was also shut down after workers from PTI and PML-N gathered outside the station, hurling abuses and accusing each other of rigging. Paharor polling station, reserved for women, remained unmanned with no polling staff present.
Pahar Khel and Khero Khel Pakka were two areas of Lakki Marwat district where women were barred from voting. In Khan Khel, out of the four candidates vying for a seat, three agreed in principle over the ban. However the fourth election hopeful protested, forcing security officials to intervene.
Talking to The Express Tribune, in Battagram Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl candidate Quddus Khan said a jirga unanimously decided to keep women from voting in Kass Qalandar village council. “About 250 to 300 women were deprived of the right to vote,” he added.
Despite the dominant tribal order in Torghar district, women voters were taken to polling stations by candidates who walked them through the polling process.
Vote at your peril
Qalandar Khan, who was outside a polling station in Charsadda, said women have been allowed to vote, but the system was designed to discourage them. There are no facilities inside the polling station such as drinking water, shade or even electricity. In some cases, the women are uneducated and therefore misguided by the polling agents. However, there was a fair showing of women in the region.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 31[SUP]st[/SUP], 2015.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/895126/voting-pride-womens-suffrage-makes-a-wobbly-recovery/
Undefeated spirit: Youngest ‘voter’ walks miles to support his Kaptaan
PESHAWAR: He’s only in class two but his love for one particular party is so strong that he walked for miles in the scorching summer heat to reach Kohati Gate – just to show his support.
Eleven-year-old Hussain studies in Pakha Ghulam, on the outskirts of the city. When he woke up on May 30, the day of the local government elections, he pinned his dozen or so Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf badges on his clothes, took out his PTI flag and started walking towards Kohati Gate. Even in the sweltering heat which caused voters twice his age to faint, Hussain had draped another party flag around his body.
Hussain knows he cannot vote, but he does not care. “I walked as I have no money to pay for a taxi or a bus,” he said.
His long journey to the city was not in the heat of the moment, propelled by election day fervour; Hussain said he would “campaign for his party” regularly. On most days after school, he would walk to different parts of the provincial capital to campaign. The young supporter added, “For the last two months, I carry my PTI flag and walk everywhere.”
He added, “I work for my party and Imran Khan.”
Hussain explained he was the second of four siblings. His elder brother Farid sells vegetables and the other two are minors. “My father is a taxi driver and drives a Khyber car.”
His election prediction? “PTI is going to win all these elections.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 31[SUP]st[/SUP], 2015.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/894976/...est-voter-walks-miles-to-support-his-kaptaan/
#KPLGE2015: 81 incidents of violence reported from 19 districts, indicating highly tense political environment on election day. @_FAFEN
#KPLGE2015: @_FAFEN also obsrved 19 incidents of polling station capture by supporters of parties/candidates in 9 districts. 26% in Haripur.
n 63 other wards women were disenfranchised in at least one polling station due to systematic or institutional issues. @_FAFEN report
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
DAWN coverage on KP Local body elections 2015
Khattak blames ECP for violence during polling
PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak held the Election Commission of Pakistan responsible for mismanagement and violence during polling process across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday.
In a statement issued here, he said that the provincial government had put law enforcement agencies, including police, at the disposal of the commission to maintain law and order situation during the process. However, he lamented that violence during polling claimed lives of several people.
Mr Khattak visited Nowshera, his home district, and cast vote there. He blamed the commission for lawlessness which marred polling process in different districts.
He said that participation of large number of candidates and voters in the process was a positive step, adding that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and its coalition partners had fulfilled their commitment by conducting local government elections in the province. He said that it was PTI’s vision to transfer power at the grassroots level. He claimed that provincial government remained neutral and didn’t influence the process. He also claimed that he himself didn’t violate the code of conduct.
“I didn’t participate in the election campaign of my brother and never visited any part of the province,” Mr Khattak said, and added that he didn’t announce development package for any area either. He said that local government elections were important for the province and elected representatives would get more powers after completion of the process. He said the government would allocate funds in the next budget for the district governments.
Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185260/khattak-blames-ecp-for-violence-during-polling
55 wounded in scuffles at Peshawar polling stations
PESHAWAR: At least 55 people, including two women, were wounded in scuffles among supporters of candidates at various polling stations in the provincial metropolis during the local government elections on Saturday.
Police personnel deputed at the polling stations mostly remained spectators to the mismanagement and violation of queue by voters, which also caused delay in start of the polling process. Sources said that 30 injured were brought to the Lady Reading Hospital and another 25 to the Khyber Teaching Hospital.
During visits to different polling stations by this correspondent, the candidates and their supporters complained of insufficient security arrangements which led to clashes among the people. The clashes took place at Kohat Road, Kakshaal, Bakhshi Pul, Ghari Atta Mohammad, Aslam Dheri, Beri Bagh, Shagi Hindkian, Bashirabad, Baghbanan, Umeedabad, Warsak Road, Hussainabad, Nauthia, Tarnab, Sufaid Dheri, etc.
In Faqirabad area, the workers of Awami National Party and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf clashed. However, the army personnel were called in who dispersed them by firing in the air. No casualty was reported.
The situation in the outskirts of Peshawar remained tense due to lack of sufficient security arrangements. A police official told this correspondent that the required number of policemen was not deputed at the polling stations and thus the existing staff could not resist the pressure of supporters of the candidates.
According to officials and voters, the election process was stopped in some areas for the only reason that sufficient security personnel were not available to defuse the political pressure on the polling staff.
“Every candidate is baselessly blaming us for rigging. We have the only option to postpone the election process by writing to the election commission,” said an official at Shaikh Mohammadi polling station.
There was no arrangement for checking of the 55 wounded in scuffles at Peshawar polling stations women voters coming in veils to the polling stations. Besides, the shortage of lady police officials was specially felt at the rural areas’ polling stations.
People said that they took life risk to come to the polling stations in a state of uncertainty because there was no arrangement for body search of the voters and metal detectors at least to check weapons and other explosive devices.
At many points the roads outside the polling stations remained blocked owing to the parking of vehicles, election offices and presence of a large number of supporters of the candidates. The traffic police apparently remained off duty, as at many places people were seen trying to clear the roads themselves.
“Everyone is trying to move ahead and nobody wants to line up for their turn,” a policeman at Nauthia polling station said. He said that the police had to stretch razor wire along the school’s walls to queue up people for polling vote.
Inspector general of police Nasir Khan Durrani has, meanwhile, asked the police officials to register cases against those found involved in firing in the air, display of arms and damaging election material.
Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185259/55-wounded-in-scuffles-at-peshawar-polling-stations
Of disorderly voters and ill-trained election staff
The young presiding officer, Ahsan Khan, felt completely at a loss when some unruly voters gathered around the election staff to seek ballot papers for themselves.
None of them was willing to queue up. Two policemen were present inside the small classroom-turned-polling booth at the Government Primary School for Boys Sarband but they acted as if they had no concern with what was happening there. The polling had to be suspended time and again in the booth, which was one of the four at the said polling station.
Those present there were creating a lot of noise, making conversation between two persons almost impossible.
The polling continued in the other three booths but at a snail’s pace as voters turned up in large number and they were no match to the cumbersome voting process with each one of them casting six votes.
The small courtyard was packed to capacity. Several visitors were trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening inside the room through windows. The situation turned more chaotic due to the suspension of power supply since early morning. The voters were mostly soaked in sweat inside the small classrooms. There was suffocation and those present there were facing it hard to cope with the atmosphere inside.
“Since morning, I’ve been trying to convince these voters to line up so that the polling process could take place smoothly but all of them want to be the first to cast vote,” said the presiding officer.
Pointing towards some dishes filled with cooked rice, he said it was around 3:30pm but the election staff had so far not taken lunch and were not sure when to resume polling there.
Supporters of election candidates were leveling allegations against each other of rigging.
At the said station, supporters mostly belonged to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl. They accused election staff of mismanagement saying they were not trained enough to conduct the exercise.
Almost identical situation was witnessed in several other polling stations in rural areas.
One thing common among these polling stations was unavailability of power supply as most of their respective areas are notorious for power pilferage, providing an excuse to Pesco to suspend electricity supply there.
Jahangir Khan, whose clothes were drenched due to profuse sweating, tried to cast vote at a polling station set up at Government Primary School of Boys, Garhi Shaikhan, in Bazidkhel ward.
He finally lost his cool as he was provided only two ballot papers meant for district and tehsil candidates, whereas receiving rest of the four ballot papers was a gigantic task to accomplish. As the room was full of voters and all of them encircled the election staff, they were receiving ballot papers without any sequence.
Jahangir Khan threw away the two ballot papers while hurling abuses at the government, candidates, Election Commission of Pakistan and Wapda.
Others present there tried to pacify him and finally he agreed to cast only the said two votes. Some PTI supporters present at the station took pride in conducting the local government elections and taunted their opponents that during their government, they failed to hold the polls.
These polls are held after a decade as the last local government elections were held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (then North-West Frontier Province) in 2005 under the system provided by military ruler Pervez Musharraf.
In that system, a voter had to cast four votes, one each for panel of nazim and naib nazim of union council; general member of union council; and reserved seats for women and no-Muslims in union councils. However,
in present system, they’d to cast six or seven votes, which further complicated the situation.
“There are complications in the present system, but still credit must be given to PTI and Jamaat-i-Islami as they were not shy of conducting local government elections unlike their predecessors,” said Manzoor Khalil, a voter at a polling station in Hayatabad Township.
Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2015
JUI-S, PML-N boycott voting in Nowshera to protest ‘rigging’
NOWSHERA: The JUI-S and PML-N reportedly announced boycott of voting while election was postponed on four polling stations in protest against alleged ‘rigging and mismanagement’ by the provincial government in Nowshera, the native district of Chief Minister Pervez Khattak.
The leaders of JUI-S and PML-N held the chief minister and his party activists responsible for brawls, violence and chaotic situation at polling stations in the district. They said that election symbols of candidates were absent from the ballot papers.
Election was also postponed in polling stations in Rashakai, Maisa, Kuterpan and Misri Banda union councils due to absence of election symbols of several candidates from the ballot papers.
Scores injured as scuffles witnessed at polling stations in parts of KP
PML-N provincial senior vice-president Ikhtiar Wali announced the boycott, saying the ruling PTI-led government had massively ‘rigged’ the elections. He said that there was no need to participate in voting where the ruling party was openly involved in rigging practice.
J
UI-S leaders also accused the PTI-led government of ‘rigging’ in the LG elections. They said that the chief minister was involved in manipulating election process from the day one. Meanwhile, scuffle and exchange of hot words witnessed at the women polling station at union council Spin Kanry, Ziarat Kaka Sahib.
BANNU: Clashes among workers of rival political parties and firing in the air marred polling process in different parts of Bannu district, while the law enforcement agencies arrested several troublemakers.
Police said that four people received bullet injuries after exchange of fire between two armed groups at a polling station in Wapda Colony. Violence has also been reported from other areas of the district. Officials said that seven AK-47 rifles, five pistols and ammunition were recovered.
Armed men stormed a polling station at Union Council Baizen Khel, damaged ballot boxes and papers. They also held polling staff hostage. Unidentified armed persons kept women polling staff hostage at Rasool Khan polling station and took away ballot boxes.
Police said that several people had been arrested on charges of disrupting polling process in the district where polling was held in 49 union councils. Polling was suspended at several polling stations due to absence of election symbols on the ballot papers.
MARDAN: Mismanagement, late arrival of election staff and publication of wrong ballot papers led to suspension of the polling process in various parts of the district.
In Mady Baba union council, the voting on the seat of district council was suspended after rival candidates scuffled with each other. In most of the polling station, polling started two to three hours late and voters kept waiting outside polling stations in the scorching heat. However, the local government elections were held largely in a peaceful atmosphere and no big incident had been reported.
DI KHAN: At least 15 activists of various political parties were injured as voting on several polling stations was suspended due to lack of security arrangements in Dera Ismail Khan district.
As many as 15 people were injured in scuffles between workers of rival political parties. Voting was delayed for up to three hours at several polling stations due to absence of election symbols of some candidates from the ballot papers.
SWAT: The polling in Swat was held amid tight security as about 7,000 police personnel were deployed to maintain law and order and ensure fair and impartial election.
DPO Saleem Marwat also inspected the arrangements at a polling station in Mingora. Except a few polling stations where women voters didn’t come to cast votes, high turnout of women was recorded in majority of the polling stations across the Swat valley.
In Matta tehsil, once known as stronghold of Swat Taliban, a big turnout of women voters was witnessed in the polling stations. Women also cast their votes in Mingora, Barikot, Gogdara, Khwazakhela, Bahrain and Kokarai.
However, in some areas a single vote was not polled. “We have 1,804 voters in the list, but no women came to cast vote,” Sultana Kausar, presiding officer at the woman polling station at Odigram, told Dawn. No vote was reportedly polled in Fatehpur, Guli Bagh, Kabal, Odigram areas in the district.
ABBOTTABAD: Except scuffles at a few polling stations in Abbottabad district in which 10 workers of rival groups were injured, the overall election process remained peaceful and great enthusiasm was witnessed among voters.
Army was also called in for a brief time at the polling station at Government High School No 4, Abbottabad, and village Attai Khan in Havelian to control law and order.
At Abbottabad School No 4 polling station voting was suspended for half an hour on the complaints of rival candidates about mismanagement of the polling staff. Clash between rival parties workers were also reported from union council Tajwal, Chammad, Bandi Attai Khan, Bagnother and Vocational centre and Havelian, leaving six people injured. DPO Sher Akbar also visited the polling stations.
KOHAT: By and large the polling process in the district remained peaceful except some cases of mismanagement and brawls leading to brief suspension of polling in a few union councils on Saturday.
Ten people were arrested for violating the election rules while two male supporters were arrested for their presence inside a women polling station at Public Health Colony. The polling was briefly suspended at the polling stations of union councils Bilitang, Darmalak, Urban-1-2-3-4, Sheikhan, Mohammadzai, Nustratkhel, Shahpur and Gandiali.
Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185252/jui-s-pml-n-boycott-voting-in-nowshera-to-protest-rigging
Women ‘lacked knowledge’ of polling process
PESHAWAR: A number of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa women, who turned up at polling stations to exercise their right to vote during the local body elections on Saturday, seemed to lack knowledge of the polling process.
Ironically, ill-trained polling staff was no help.
In some parts of the province, most women didn’t step out due to conservative customs and even those, who came out, found ballot paper to be complicated.
In some parts of KP, conservative customs stopped women voters from stepping out
Some went home without casting vote due to mismanagement and violence.
Intrusion of men into the women’s polling stations too was a hurdle to the polling.
Talking to some women shortly after they cast vote revealed that they didn’t fill ballot paper properly as they’re not familiar with a ballot paper having many symbols.
The situation turned worst where there was no queue and polling staff was insufficient and ill-trained.
The polling at such polling stations was slow stressing out voters waiting for their turn under the sun.
A visit to some polling stations in Peshawar showed that ‘shuttlecock’ burqa-clad women, who looked exhausted in the hot weather, didn’t understand the ‘complicated’ ballot paper.
The problems of this nature were seen more in rural areas.
The worst kind of indiscipline was observed at the women’s polling stations, where women did not stand in queues.
There were concerns ahead of local body elections that women might not vote but they did come out though their turnout was not impressive.
Women rights groups, which had complained about the barring of women from voting, also kept a close watch on the situation and identified some areas, where women didn’t vote.
“In Urmar Payan area, women were turned away from polling stations. Women did not vote in Landi Bala, Hajiabad and many such localities,” said Qamar Naseem of NGO Blue Veins, which had sent observers to polling stations in urban and rural areas of Peshawar.
He said men were seen moving about freely in some women’s polling stations.
In Nasapa area, a woman was injured with a bullet created panic among women waiting for their turn to cast vote.
In Tehkaalbala area, a polling station didn’t open until 3pm.
Qamar Naseem said women did not vote in Bahadarkalay, Achar kallay, Landi Bala and Landi Payan areas due to verbal deals among local elders about not to allow women to cast vote.
The Aurat Foundation said the areas where women did not vote included Janikhel (Bannu), Rega, Tor Warsak, Pacha Kalay, seven polling stations of Malikpur (Buner), Pando Payan (Peshawar), Katlang (Mardan), Adinzai tehsil (Lower Dir), Khwazakhela, Islampura and Kuz Abakhel (Swat) and Marghuz, Dagai and Akhoon Kalay in Swabi.
It said after its regional and district teams stepped in, women did cast vote in areas like Heroshah (Malakand), Balu (Nowshera), Charma village, Gawliarai and Roringhar union councils (Swat), Ghari Usmanikhel and Dargai union councils (Malakand), where elders had already slapped a ‘ban’ on the women’s right to vote.
“In Janikhel area of Bannu, armed men stopped women from casting vote,” said an observer.
Saira Bano, who heads Shirkatgah in Peshawar, said combined polling stations for men and women in Mayar, Gosam, Khazana, Kotky and Tor Qila areas in Lower Dir district discouraged many women to step out for voting.
She said a small number of women voters turned up at polling stations.
Saira said neither women in such areas knew how to poll vote correctly nor did the polling staff facilitate them at polling stations.
Meanwhile, the information gathered from across the province revealed that the turnout of women voters was very low in some districts, while women did not vote in many parts of Upper and Lower Dir, and Battagram.
Women did not vote in Jandole, Bilambat, Munda, Talash, Khaal, Tor Mang and Shal Palam tehsils of Lower Dir.
The turnout of women voters was very low at Chakdarra and Gulabad.
Women didn’t cast vote at many polling stations in the highly-conservative Torghar district.
“I am not sure about the number of women polling stations, where polling has not taken place. However, the number may be less than 20 percent of the total polling stations,” said Tahir Hassan, the district election commissioner of Torghar.
He expressed ignorance when asked about the reported agreements either among candidates or between candidates and local communities about ‘ban’ on women voters.
In the far-flung Battagram district, too, women voters didn’t take part in the elections.
Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185261/women-lacked-knowledge-of-polling-process
Khattak blames ECP for violence during polling
PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak held the Election Commission of Pakistan responsible for mismanagement and violence during polling process across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday.
In a statement issued here, he said that the provincial government had put law enforcement agencies, including police, at the disposal of the commission to maintain law and order situation during the process. However, he lamented that violence during polling claimed lives of several people.
Mr Khattak visited Nowshera, his home district, and cast vote there. He blamed the commission for lawlessness which marred polling process in different districts.
He said that participation of large number of candidates and voters in the process was a positive step, adding that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and its coalition partners had fulfilled their commitment by conducting local government elections in the province. He said that it was PTI’s vision to transfer power at the grassroots level. He claimed that provincial government remained neutral and didn’t influence the process. He also claimed that he himself didn’t violate the code of conduct.
“I didn’t participate in the election campaign of my brother and never visited any part of the province,” Mr Khattak said, and added that he didn’t announce development package for any area either. He said that local government elections were important for the province and elected representatives would get more powers after completion of the process. He said the government would allocate funds in the next budget for the district governments.
Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185260/khattak-blames-ecp-for-violence-during-polling
55 wounded in scuffles at Peshawar polling stations
PESHAWAR: At least 55 people, including two women, were wounded in scuffles among supporters of candidates at various polling stations in the provincial metropolis during the local government elections on Saturday.
Police personnel deputed at the polling stations mostly remained spectators to the mismanagement and violation of queue by voters, which also caused delay in start of the polling process. Sources said that 30 injured were brought to the Lady Reading Hospital and another 25 to the Khyber Teaching Hospital.
During visits to different polling stations by this correspondent, the candidates and their supporters complained of insufficient security arrangements which led to clashes among the people. The clashes took place at Kohat Road, Kakshaal, Bakhshi Pul, Ghari Atta Mohammad, Aslam Dheri, Beri Bagh, Shagi Hindkian, Bashirabad, Baghbanan, Umeedabad, Warsak Road, Hussainabad, Nauthia, Tarnab, Sufaid Dheri, etc.
In Faqirabad area, the workers of Awami National Party and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf clashed. However, the army personnel were called in who dispersed them by firing in the air. No casualty was reported.
The situation in the outskirts of Peshawar remained tense due to lack of sufficient security arrangements. A police official told this correspondent that the required number of policemen was not deputed at the polling stations and thus the existing staff could not resist the pressure of supporters of the candidates.
According to officials and voters, the election process was stopped in some areas for the only reason that sufficient security personnel were not available to defuse the political pressure on the polling staff.
“Every candidate is baselessly blaming us for rigging. We have the only option to postpone the election process by writing to the election commission,” said an official at Shaikh Mohammadi polling station.
There was no arrangement for checking of the 55 wounded in scuffles at Peshawar polling stations women voters coming in veils to the polling stations. Besides, the shortage of lady police officials was specially felt at the rural areas’ polling stations.
People said that they took life risk to come to the polling stations in a state of uncertainty because there was no arrangement for body search of the voters and metal detectors at least to check weapons and other explosive devices.
At many points the roads outside the polling stations remained blocked owing to the parking of vehicles, election offices and presence of a large number of supporters of the candidates. The traffic police apparently remained off duty, as at many places people were seen trying to clear the roads themselves.
“Everyone is trying to move ahead and nobody wants to line up for their turn,” a policeman at Nauthia polling station said. He said that the police had to stretch razor wire along the school’s walls to queue up people for polling vote.
Inspector general of police Nasir Khan Durrani has, meanwhile, asked the police officials to register cases against those found involved in firing in the air, display of arms and damaging election material.
Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185259/55-wounded-in-scuffles-at-peshawar-polling-stations
Of disorderly voters and ill-trained election staff
The young presiding officer, Ahsan Khan, felt completely at a loss when some unruly voters gathered around the election staff to seek ballot papers for themselves.
None of them was willing to queue up. Two policemen were present inside the small classroom-turned-polling booth at the Government Primary School for Boys Sarband but they acted as if they had no concern with what was happening there. The polling had to be suspended time and again in the booth, which was one of the four at the said polling station.
Those present there were creating a lot of noise, making conversation between two persons almost impossible.
The polling continued in the other three booths but at a snail’s pace as voters turned up in large number and they were no match to the cumbersome voting process with each one of them casting six votes.
The small courtyard was packed to capacity. Several visitors were trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening inside the room through windows. The situation turned more chaotic due to the suspension of power supply since early morning. The voters were mostly soaked in sweat inside the small classrooms. There was suffocation and those present there were facing it hard to cope with the atmosphere inside.
“Since morning, I’ve been trying to convince these voters to line up so that the polling process could take place smoothly but all of them want to be the first to cast vote,” said the presiding officer.
Pointing towards some dishes filled with cooked rice, he said it was around 3:30pm but the election staff had so far not taken lunch and were not sure when to resume polling there.
Supporters of election candidates were leveling allegations against each other of rigging.
At the said station, supporters mostly belonged to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl. They accused election staff of mismanagement saying they were not trained enough to conduct the exercise.
Almost identical situation was witnessed in several other polling stations in rural areas.
One thing common among these polling stations was unavailability of power supply as most of their respective areas are notorious for power pilferage, providing an excuse to Pesco to suspend electricity supply there.
Jahangir Khan, whose clothes were drenched due to profuse sweating, tried to cast vote at a polling station set up at Government Primary School of Boys, Garhi Shaikhan, in Bazidkhel ward.
He finally lost his cool as he was provided only two ballot papers meant for district and tehsil candidates, whereas receiving rest of the four ballot papers was a gigantic task to accomplish. As the room was full of voters and all of them encircled the election staff, they were receiving ballot papers without any sequence.
Jahangir Khan threw away the two ballot papers while hurling abuses at the government, candidates, Election Commission of Pakistan and Wapda.
Others present there tried to pacify him and finally he agreed to cast only the said two votes. Some PTI supporters present at the station took pride in conducting the local government elections and taunted their opponents that during their government, they failed to hold the polls.
These polls are held after a decade as the last local government elections were held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (then North-West Frontier Province) in 2005 under the system provided by military ruler Pervez Musharraf.
In that system, a voter had to cast four votes, one each for panel of nazim and naib nazim of union council; general member of union council; and reserved seats for women and no-Muslims in union councils. However,
in present system, they’d to cast six or seven votes, which further complicated the situation.
“There are complications in the present system, but still credit must be given to PTI and Jamaat-i-Islami as they were not shy of conducting local government elections unlike their predecessors,” said Manzoor Khalil, a voter at a polling station in Hayatabad Township.
Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2015
JUI-S, PML-N boycott voting in Nowshera to protest ‘rigging’
NOWSHERA: The JUI-S and PML-N reportedly announced boycott of voting while election was postponed on four polling stations in protest against alleged ‘rigging and mismanagement’ by the provincial government in Nowshera, the native district of Chief Minister Pervez Khattak.
The leaders of JUI-S and PML-N held the chief minister and his party activists responsible for brawls, violence and chaotic situation at polling stations in the district. They said that election symbols of candidates were absent from the ballot papers.
Election was also postponed in polling stations in Rashakai, Maisa, Kuterpan and Misri Banda union councils due to absence of election symbols of several candidates from the ballot papers.
Scores injured as scuffles witnessed at polling stations in parts of KP
PML-N provincial senior vice-president Ikhtiar Wali announced the boycott, saying the ruling PTI-led government had massively ‘rigged’ the elections. He said that there was no need to participate in voting where the ruling party was openly involved in rigging practice.
J
UI-S leaders also accused the PTI-led government of ‘rigging’ in the LG elections. They said that the chief minister was involved in manipulating election process from the day one. Meanwhile, scuffle and exchange of hot words witnessed at the women polling station at union council Spin Kanry, Ziarat Kaka Sahib.
BANNU: Clashes among workers of rival political parties and firing in the air marred polling process in different parts of Bannu district, while the law enforcement agencies arrested several troublemakers.
Police said that four people received bullet injuries after exchange of fire between two armed groups at a polling station in Wapda Colony. Violence has also been reported from other areas of the district. Officials said that seven AK-47 rifles, five pistols and ammunition were recovered.
Armed men stormed a polling station at Union Council Baizen Khel, damaged ballot boxes and papers. They also held polling staff hostage. Unidentified armed persons kept women polling staff hostage at Rasool Khan polling station and took away ballot boxes.
Police said that several people had been arrested on charges of disrupting polling process in the district where polling was held in 49 union councils. Polling was suspended at several polling stations due to absence of election symbols on the ballot papers.
MARDAN: Mismanagement, late arrival of election staff and publication of wrong ballot papers led to suspension of the polling process in various parts of the district.
In Mady Baba union council, the voting on the seat of district council was suspended after rival candidates scuffled with each other. In most of the polling station, polling started two to three hours late and voters kept waiting outside polling stations in the scorching heat. However, the local government elections were held largely in a peaceful atmosphere and no big incident had been reported.
DI KHAN: At least 15 activists of various political parties were injured as voting on several polling stations was suspended due to lack of security arrangements in Dera Ismail Khan district.
As many as 15 people were injured in scuffles between workers of rival political parties. Voting was delayed for up to three hours at several polling stations due to absence of election symbols of some candidates from the ballot papers.
SWAT: The polling in Swat was held amid tight security as about 7,000 police personnel were deployed to maintain law and order and ensure fair and impartial election.
DPO Saleem Marwat also inspected the arrangements at a polling station in Mingora. Except a few polling stations where women voters didn’t come to cast votes, high turnout of women was recorded in majority of the polling stations across the Swat valley.
In Matta tehsil, once known as stronghold of Swat Taliban, a big turnout of women voters was witnessed in the polling stations. Women also cast their votes in Mingora, Barikot, Gogdara, Khwazakhela, Bahrain and Kokarai.
However, in some areas a single vote was not polled. “We have 1,804 voters in the list, but no women came to cast vote,” Sultana Kausar, presiding officer at the woman polling station at Odigram, told Dawn. No vote was reportedly polled in Fatehpur, Guli Bagh, Kabal, Odigram areas in the district.
ABBOTTABAD: Except scuffles at a few polling stations in Abbottabad district in which 10 workers of rival groups were injured, the overall election process remained peaceful and great enthusiasm was witnessed among voters.
Army was also called in for a brief time at the polling station at Government High School No 4, Abbottabad, and village Attai Khan in Havelian to control law and order.
At Abbottabad School No 4 polling station voting was suspended for half an hour on the complaints of rival candidates about mismanagement of the polling staff. Clash between rival parties workers were also reported from union council Tajwal, Chammad, Bandi Attai Khan, Bagnother and Vocational centre and Havelian, leaving six people injured. DPO Sher Akbar also visited the polling stations.
KOHAT: By and large the polling process in the district remained peaceful except some cases of mismanagement and brawls leading to brief suspension of polling in a few union councils on Saturday.
Ten people were arrested for violating the election rules while two male supporters were arrested for their presence inside a women polling station at Public Health Colony. The polling was briefly suspended at the polling stations of union councils Bilitang, Darmalak, Urban-1-2-3-4, Sheikhan, Mohammadzai, Nustratkhel, Shahpur and Gandiali.
Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185252/jui-s-pml-n-boycott-voting-in-nowshera-to-protest-rigging
Women ‘lacked knowledge’ of polling process
PESHAWAR: A number of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa women, who turned up at polling stations to exercise their right to vote during the local body elections on Saturday, seemed to lack knowledge of the polling process.
Ironically, ill-trained polling staff was no help.
In some parts of the province, most women didn’t step out due to conservative customs and even those, who came out, found ballot paper to be complicated.
In some parts of KP, conservative customs stopped women voters from stepping out
Some went home without casting vote due to mismanagement and violence.
Intrusion of men into the women’s polling stations too was a hurdle to the polling.
Talking to some women shortly after they cast vote revealed that they didn’t fill ballot paper properly as they’re not familiar with a ballot paper having many symbols.
The situation turned worst where there was no queue and polling staff was insufficient and ill-trained.
The polling at such polling stations was slow stressing out voters waiting for their turn under the sun.
A visit to some polling stations in Peshawar showed that ‘shuttlecock’ burqa-clad women, who looked exhausted in the hot weather, didn’t understand the ‘complicated’ ballot paper.
The problems of this nature were seen more in rural areas.
The worst kind of indiscipline was observed at the women’s polling stations, where women did not stand in queues.
There were concerns ahead of local body elections that women might not vote but they did come out though their turnout was not impressive.
Women rights groups, which had complained about the barring of women from voting, also kept a close watch on the situation and identified some areas, where women didn’t vote.
“In Urmar Payan area, women were turned away from polling stations. Women did not vote in Landi Bala, Hajiabad and many such localities,” said Qamar Naseem of NGO Blue Veins, which had sent observers to polling stations in urban and rural areas of Peshawar.
He said men were seen moving about freely in some women’s polling stations.
In Nasapa area, a woman was injured with a bullet created panic among women waiting for their turn to cast vote.
In Tehkaalbala area, a polling station didn’t open until 3pm.
Qamar Naseem said women did not vote in Bahadarkalay, Achar kallay, Landi Bala and Landi Payan areas due to verbal deals among local elders about not to allow women to cast vote.
The Aurat Foundation said the areas where women did not vote included Janikhel (Bannu), Rega, Tor Warsak, Pacha Kalay, seven polling stations of Malikpur (Buner), Pando Payan (Peshawar), Katlang (Mardan), Adinzai tehsil (Lower Dir), Khwazakhela, Islampura and Kuz Abakhel (Swat) and Marghuz, Dagai and Akhoon Kalay in Swabi.
It said after its regional and district teams stepped in, women did cast vote in areas like Heroshah (Malakand), Balu (Nowshera), Charma village, Gawliarai and Roringhar union councils (Swat), Ghari Usmanikhel and Dargai union councils (Malakand), where elders had already slapped a ‘ban’ on the women’s right to vote.
“In Janikhel area of Bannu, armed men stopped women from casting vote,” said an observer.
Saira Bano, who heads Shirkatgah in Peshawar, said combined polling stations for men and women in Mayar, Gosam, Khazana, Kotky and Tor Qila areas in Lower Dir district discouraged many women to step out for voting.
She said a small number of women voters turned up at polling stations.
Saira said neither women in such areas knew how to poll vote correctly nor did the polling staff facilitate them at polling stations.
Meanwhile, the information gathered from across the province revealed that the turnout of women voters was very low in some districts, while women did not vote in many parts of Upper and Lower Dir, and Battagram.
Women did not vote in Jandole, Bilambat, Munda, Talash, Khaal, Tor Mang and Shal Palam tehsils of Lower Dir.
The turnout of women voters was very low at Chakdarra and Gulabad.
Women didn’t cast vote at many polling stations in the highly-conservative Torghar district.
“I am not sure about the number of women polling stations, where polling has not taken place. However, the number may be less than 20 percent of the total polling stations,” said Tahir Hassan, the district election commissioner of Torghar.
He expressed ignorance when asked about the reported agreements either among candidates or between candidates and local communities about ‘ban’ on women voters.
In the far-flung Battagram district, too, women voters didn’t take part in the elections.
Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185261/women-lacked-knowledge-of-polling-process
Last edited:
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Last edited:
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
[FAFEN Report on KP LB Polls]
A largely free and fair election is being tainted by sensationalism and allegations of rigging. PTI has made it clear that any reports of rigging will be heard and responded and no one will have to sit-in and protest for 126 days to have their complaints heard.
The question needs to be asked, why is the media only showing 2% where rigging happened and NOT talking of 98% that liberated KPK and gave power to the grassroot?
A largely free and fair election is being tainted by sensationalism and allegations of rigging. PTI has made it clear that any reports of rigging will be heard and responded and no one will have to sit-in and protest for 126 days to have their complaints heard.
The question needs to be asked, why is the media only showing 2% where rigging happened and NOT talking of 98% that liberated KPK and gave power to the grassroot?
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
1 June 2015
Budget 2015-16: Budget will exceed Rs470 billion
PESHAWAR: As the federal budget comes knocking, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa finance department has chalked out the provincial budget for the fiscal year 2015-16.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Minister for Finance Muzaffar Said said the total will exceed Rs472 billion. Last year’s budget was Rs404 billion. The proposed draft mentions an increase in the Annual Development Programme and allocations to sectors like health, education and local government. “The total will include Rs118 billion for ADP, excluding foreign aid,” he added. The minister assured government is weighing up no additional taxes or increases in the existing ones.
Losing aid
The final draft will be presented in the provincial legislature on June 13. Department officials speculated the government might see cuts in foreign aid this year. “It is hard to deduce why at the moment but it is highly likely the sum will drop,” said a senior official. He said the target is set at Rs25 billion. Last year, the ADP amounted to Rs139 billion, with Rs39 billion through aid.
Said, however, refuted the notion and said the government is hopeful of receiving even more than Rs39 billion. “ADP allocation for LG has been augmented by 60%, health by 25%, elementary and secondary education by 23% and higher education by 20%,” added Muzaffar Said who belongs to the Jamaat-e-Islami.
Under-spending
As the government plans capital injections for the aforementioned sectors, it has so far failed to fully utilise their 2014-15 development budgets.
According to statistics provided by the planning and development department officials, the elementary and secondary and health departments had managed to only use 32% of their ADP funds by April. “Health and education are our priorities. We will press these departments to not only spend previously allocated sums but also work towards new schemes,” said the minister, adding unutilised funds will be carried forward in the new fiscal year.
Answering a question about the increase in salaries and pensions of government officials, Said shared the provincial government is awaiting the federal budget. “We will increase salaries and announce promotions in accordance with available resources,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 2[SUP]nd[/SUP], 2015
http://tribune.com.pk/story/895884/budget-2015-16-budget-will-exceed-rs470-billion/
Budget 2015-16: Budget will exceed Rs470 billion
PESHAWAR: As the federal budget comes knocking, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa finance department has chalked out the provincial budget for the fiscal year 2015-16.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Minister for Finance Muzaffar Said said the total will exceed Rs472 billion. Last year’s budget was Rs404 billion. The proposed draft mentions an increase in the Annual Development Programme and allocations to sectors like health, education and local government. “The total will include Rs118 billion for ADP, excluding foreign aid,” he added. The minister assured government is weighing up no additional taxes or increases in the existing ones.
Losing aid
The final draft will be presented in the provincial legislature on June 13. Department officials speculated the government might see cuts in foreign aid this year. “It is hard to deduce why at the moment but it is highly likely the sum will drop,” said a senior official. He said the target is set at Rs25 billion. Last year, the ADP amounted to Rs139 billion, with Rs39 billion through aid.
Said, however, refuted the notion and said the government is hopeful of receiving even more than Rs39 billion. “ADP allocation for LG has been augmented by 60%, health by 25%, elementary and secondary education by 23% and higher education by 20%,” added Muzaffar Said who belongs to the Jamaat-e-Islami.
Under-spending
As the government plans capital injections for the aforementioned sectors, it has so far failed to fully utilise their 2014-15 development budgets.
According to statistics provided by the planning and development department officials, the elementary and secondary and health departments had managed to only use 32% of their ADP funds by April. “Health and education are our priorities. We will press these departments to not only spend previously allocated sums but also work towards new schemes,” said the minister, adding unutilised funds will be carried forward in the new fiscal year.
Answering a question about the increase in salaries and pensions of government officials, Said shared the provincial government is awaiting the federal budget. “We will increase salaries and announce promotions in accordance with available resources,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 2[SUP]nd[/SUP], 2015
http://tribune.com.pk/story/895884/budget-2015-16-budget-will-exceed-rs470-billion/
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Taking stock: Election declared void in city’s 26 stations
PESHAWAR: Taking notice of rigging allegations and other irregularities reported in the recently-concluded local government elections, DC Riaz Mehsud, who is also district returning officer (DRO) for Peshawar, has declared elections in 26 polling stations invalid.
Speaking to journalists at his office on Monday, Mehsud said elections in Kakshal, Banamarhi, Hazar Khwani, Urmar Payan, Mashokhel and 21 other polling stations were void. He said the decision was taken after irregularities were observed, including rigging, violent clashes and lack of proper arrangements.
According to the DRO, his recommendations about the polling stations have been submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan and it is now the ECP’s responsibility to hold re-elections there.
Earlier on Sunday, Chief Secretary Amjid Ali Khan had sought a report from the DRO on the irregularities and violence on election day (May 30).
A senior government official while requesting he remain unnamed as he was not authorised to speak to the media told The Express TribuneMehsud submitted the detailed report to Amjid on Sunday night.
According to insiders, the report outlined that in many places polling material was not delivered to polling stations on time, while officials of the education department were also assigned to stations without consulting the ECP.
The compiled document also showed aside from delayed delivery, symbols of candidates were missing from ballot papers, disrupting the process.
Giving more details of observations listed in the report, he said security arrangements were not satisfactory and one official was assigned to two separate polling stations, while in some areas the election commission had assigned teachers who had passed away long ago.
Demands for re-election
Accusing Chief Minister Pervez Khattak of rigging, the district chapter of the Awami National Party has demanded ECP to hold a re-election in all polling stations of PK-13, Nowshera-II.
“CM Khattak spent the entire day in his constituency on May 30,” said ANP Nowshera leader Shahid Khan at a press conference at Peshawar Press Club. A large number of ANP leaders were present on the occasion.
Shahid claimed bogus votes were cast in Manki Sharif polling station – the CM’s hometown.
According to him, on the CM’s directives, police created hurdles for ANP’s voters, while voting continued till 12am in the constituency also on his directives.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 2[SUP]nd[/SUP], 2015.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/895877/taking-stock-election-declared-void-in-citys-26-stations/
PESHAWAR: Taking notice of rigging allegations and other irregularities reported in the recently-concluded local government elections, DC Riaz Mehsud, who is also district returning officer (DRO) for Peshawar, has declared elections in 26 polling stations invalid.
Speaking to journalists at his office on Monday, Mehsud said elections in Kakshal, Banamarhi, Hazar Khwani, Urmar Payan, Mashokhel and 21 other polling stations were void. He said the decision was taken after irregularities were observed, including rigging, violent clashes and lack of proper arrangements.
According to the DRO, his recommendations about the polling stations have been submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan and it is now the ECP’s responsibility to hold re-elections there.
Earlier on Sunday, Chief Secretary Amjid Ali Khan had sought a report from the DRO on the irregularities and violence on election day (May 30).
A senior government official while requesting he remain unnamed as he was not authorised to speak to the media told The Express TribuneMehsud submitted the detailed report to Amjid on Sunday night.
According to insiders, the report outlined that in many places polling material was not delivered to polling stations on time, while officials of the education department were also assigned to stations without consulting the ECP.
The compiled document also showed aside from delayed delivery, symbols of candidates were missing from ballot papers, disrupting the process.
Giving more details of observations listed in the report, he said security arrangements were not satisfactory and one official was assigned to two separate polling stations, while in some areas the election commission had assigned teachers who had passed away long ago.
Demands for re-election
Accusing Chief Minister Pervez Khattak of rigging, the district chapter of the Awami National Party has demanded ECP to hold a re-election in all polling stations of PK-13, Nowshera-II.
“CM Khattak spent the entire day in his constituency on May 30,” said ANP Nowshera leader Shahid Khan at a press conference at Peshawar Press Club. A large number of ANP leaders were present on the occasion.
Shahid claimed bogus votes were cast in Manki Sharif polling station – the CM’s hometown.
According to him, on the CM’s directives, police created hurdles for ANP’s voters, while voting continued till 12am in the constituency also on his directives.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 2[SUP]nd[/SUP], 2015.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/895877/taking-stock-election-declared-void-in-citys-26-stations/
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
PTI's Ali Amin Gandapur granted bail
DI KHAN: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Wednesday has been granted bail after being handed to police for a one-day remand, Express News reported.
The minster of the ruling party had allegedly forcibly taken away ballot boxes from a polling station on Sunday.
Read: Above the law? PTI minister accused of forcibly taking ballot boxes away
According to the DI Khan police, vote count was under way in Hemath Adda polling station in the morning when the lawmaker, accompanied by his brother Umar Amin Gandapur, a candidate for tehsil nazim, and his armed supporters arrived, picked up the ballot boxes and began putting them in the minister’s car.
Read: PTI’s Ali Amin Gandapur handed over to police on one-day remand
Cantt SHO Saifur Rehman who was on duty at the station attempted to stop the minister and his accomplices from entering the station with the help of his police staff, but failed, said a local who witnessed the incident.
DI Khan police officials had laid siege to his residence, after which he was handed to the police on a one-day remand.
Bail was granted to Ali Amin Gandapur on Wednesday by a DI Khan court.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/896836/ptis-ali-amin-gandapur-granted-bail/
DI KHAN: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Wednesday has been granted bail after being handed to police for a one-day remand, Express News reported.
The minster of the ruling party had allegedly forcibly taken away ballot boxes from a polling station on Sunday.
Read: Above the law? PTI minister accused of forcibly taking ballot boxes away
According to the DI Khan police, vote count was under way in Hemath Adda polling station in the morning when the lawmaker, accompanied by his brother Umar Amin Gandapur, a candidate for tehsil nazim, and his armed supporters arrived, picked up the ballot boxes and began putting them in the minister’s car.
Read: PTI’s Ali Amin Gandapur handed over to police on one-day remand
Cantt SHO Saifur Rehman who was on duty at the station attempted to stop the minister and his accomplices from entering the station with the help of his police staff, but failed, said a local who witnessed the incident.
DI Khan police officials had laid siege to his residence, after which he was handed to the police on a one-day remand.
Bail was granted to Ali Amin Gandapur on Wednesday by a DI Khan court.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/896836/ptis-ali-amin-gandapur-granted-bail/
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Imran offers re-polling under army’s supervision
ABBOTABAD / ISLAMABAD: Amidst a rising chorus of rigging claims in the recent local government elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan said on Tuesday that the provincial government was ready to hold re-election in the entire province under the army’s supervision.
“Although the PTI has won the elections, we are ready for re-election [in the entire province] or at disputed polling stations,” Imran told journalists after attending the proceedings of the inquiry commission probing rigging allegations in the 2013 general elections.
Read: May 7 vote: ECP annuls result of Lower Dir by-polls
The PTI chief said he was saddened to learn that the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), a coalition partner in the K-P government, had also jumped onto the bandwagon and alleged rigging in the LG elections. “The PTI will not challenge [re-election] in the court,” he said while asking political parties to approach the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for a decision. Imran maintained that he had already discussed the issue with Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and his government has no objection to re-polling, adding that there can be division-by-division re-election and that too under the army’s supervision.
“I can guarantee that if the ECP orders re-polling, the PTI will win again and with even a higher number of votes,” he added. “All political groups had jointly contested the LG polls against the PTI – but could not defeat it.”
About the ECP statement that the elections in the entire province took place on PTI’s insistence, he said the commission should take responsibility since it was not the duty of the K-P government to hold the elections.
“Take the responsibility if you have failed to hold elections properly,” he said in an oblique reference to the ECP. However, in the same breath he stated that mismanagement might not be the fault of the poll commission.
Read: Re-polling: Losing candidates accuse PTI of rigging
Meanwhile, three persons were killed and as many injured when a PML-N candidate and his companions allegedly opened fire on the supporters of a winning PTI candidate in Abbottabad.
The incident took place at Fawara Chowk, where Sajjid, the PML-N candidate from Dhamtor union council, and his supporters allegedly opened fire on people whom they had clashed with on the election day.
The triple murder triggered street protests in the city where protesters also surrounded the vehicle of National Assembly Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi, who was on en route to his home from Islamabad, and chanted slogans against the PML-N. Later, the protesters dispersed peacefully.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 3[SUP]rd[/SUP], 2015.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/896674/...ng-in-k-p-under-armys-supervision-front-page/
ABBOTABAD / ISLAMABAD: Amidst a rising chorus of rigging claims in the recent local government elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan said on Tuesday that the provincial government was ready to hold re-election in the entire province under the army’s supervision.
“Although the PTI has won the elections, we are ready for re-election [in the entire province] or at disputed polling stations,” Imran told journalists after attending the proceedings of the inquiry commission probing rigging allegations in the 2013 general elections.
Read: May 7 vote: ECP annuls result of Lower Dir by-polls
The PTI chief said he was saddened to learn that the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), a coalition partner in the K-P government, had also jumped onto the bandwagon and alleged rigging in the LG elections. “The PTI will not challenge [re-election] in the court,” he said while asking political parties to approach the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for a decision. Imran maintained that he had already discussed the issue with Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and his government has no objection to re-polling, adding that there can be division-by-division re-election and that too under the army’s supervision.
“I can guarantee that if the ECP orders re-polling, the PTI will win again and with even a higher number of votes,” he added. “All political groups had jointly contested the LG polls against the PTI – but could not defeat it.”
About the ECP statement that the elections in the entire province took place on PTI’s insistence, he said the commission should take responsibility since it was not the duty of the K-P government to hold the elections.
“Take the responsibility if you have failed to hold elections properly,” he said in an oblique reference to the ECP. However, in the same breath he stated that mismanagement might not be the fault of the poll commission.
Read: Re-polling: Losing candidates accuse PTI of rigging
Meanwhile, three persons were killed and as many injured when a PML-N candidate and his companions allegedly opened fire on the supporters of a winning PTI candidate in Abbottabad.
The incident took place at Fawara Chowk, where Sajjid, the PML-N candidate from Dhamtor union council, and his supporters allegedly opened fire on people whom they had clashed with on the election day.
The triple murder triggered street protests in the city where protesters also surrounded the vehicle of National Assembly Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi, who was on en route to his home from Islamabad, and chanted slogans against the PML-N. Later, the protesters dispersed peacefully.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 3[SUP]rd[/SUP], 2015.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/896674/...ng-in-k-p-under-armys-supervision-front-page/
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Dawn - June 01 2015
Internal rift, nepotism cost PTI dearly in LG elections
PESHAWAR: The local government election has been a replay of the general elections where Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf suffered due to internal rifts and nepotism in distribution of election tickets.
Brothers, relatives and nominees of the ministers and MPAs were rejected by ideological people who had voted to the Imran Khan-led party in the hope of change. Defeat tasted by brothers of MPA Fazal Hakim and MPA Yasin Khalil and relatives of chief minister’s adviser Arif Yousaf in Peshawar are classic examples in this regard.
In many districts, cousins of the lawmakers were rejected by people. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar lost ground to rival parties in his native Swabi, more so because the people there didn’t trust PTI. Mr Qaisar’s another brother was an elected MNA. The people’s response in Mardan is noteworthy. The Awami National Party emerged on the scene due to selection of better candidates.
In Rustam, Mardan, ANP’s Ishaq Khan won the UC seat against the PTI candidate in May 30 polls. In Swabi, the people didn’t vote for Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan, a close ally of the PTI in the KP government. The people registered their protest in LG polls against PTI in other districts, too.
Unlike other provinces, it’s not easy to win seats in KP districts like Mardan and other central areas on the basis of wealth, influence or money.
‘Unpopular’ brothers, cousins of party lawmakers lose the race
The PTI’s ideological lot had been holding protests and press conferences against award of tickets before the local government polls. The cries went unheard.
But as they say, they wouldn’t give a walkover to those who had hijacked the party after winning the intra-party polls by virtue of which they had later the party tickets and managed to become part of the KP government. The same elections have now been declared by the PTI election tribunal null and void because of fraud.
There’s always an atmosphere of war between the new and old PTI workers. The latter refer themselves as ideological and vow to battle the new entrants who had nothing to do with PTI’s agenda of change. MPAs and MNAs who actually allotted tickets in the LG polls ignored prominent workers who won as independents. The results could have been better for PTI had it distributed the tickets on merit.
Fayaz Khalil, a senior provincial leader, won the election in independent capacity, defeating several candidates only because the PTI voters went with him in UC-49, Tehkal, Peshawar.
Atif Haleem of PTI failed to become member of Town-1 in the presence of a man who ran independently and received votes from ideological workers. In Southern districts, the party lost seats due to award of tickets to wrong people.
Sardar Sher Bahadur, the PTI president of Abbottabad district, won his district seat not on the party ticket, but as an independent candidate. He was known by people as a real worker who supported the agenda of making ‘new Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’.
In UC-40, PTI’s Arbab Shafaat lost to PPP’s Arbab Zarak. The former could have won had the ideological workers not been in the contest who together grabbed five times more votes than the margin by which the PTI ticket-holder lost.
PTI’s Mujahid Ali faced a similar problem in UC-36, Peshawar. In Palosai UC in Peshawar, the PTI candidate was at fourth position on the list of vote-getters as an old party member hadn’t been given ticket due to which the diehard workers didn’t turn up, like they did in the last election.
An earlier version of the story had erroneously included the name of MPA Atif Khan among those whose family members had suffered defeat. The mistake is regretted.
Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185485/internal-rift-nepotism-cost-pti-dearly-in-lg-elections
Fafen sees irregularities in LG polls
ESHAWAR: A day after the local government polls, the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) in its preliminary report points
out irregularities and mismanagement as the major issues reported by its 987 observers from 462 wards of 24 districts in the province.
Speaking at a press conference here on Sunday, Fafen chairperson in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Zaheer Khattak said that eight per cent increase was observed in the number of registered voters compared to the 2013 general election.
Read: Six people killed in clashes during Khyber Pakhtunkhwa LG polls
However, he said that due to mismanagement as many votes might have not been polled as the number of voters who turned up at polling stations.
He also said that the polling process was lengthy and slow.
Nearly 13 per cent of the polling stations were reported to have opened after the official polling time of 8:00am.
Maimoona Noor, member board of trustees Fafen, said that LG polls was a big exercise so like previous LG polls these should have been held phase-wise.
She said that women did come out to vote, but there was mismanagement.
Fafen chief executive Shahid Fayyaz shared details of the report and said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) did not give any guidelines to voters or even candidates.
The process of polling with a multi-coloured ballot paper was also confusing for many. Women’s participation was also ineffective as polling was marred by irregularities, mismanagement and even violence at many places.
Also read: Women ‘lacked knowledge’ of polling process
Referring to some observations recorded by the observers and included in the preliminary report about May 30 LG polls, Fafen stated that though the campaign period remained largely peaceful, the polling day was marked by administrative mismanagement, extremely slow processing of voters, procedural irregularities and several reports of violence and bar on women.
Despite the massive scale and evolving legislative and regulatory framework, ECP managed to conduct the polls on the designated date.
The report says that many Fafen sees irregularities, major issues in LG polls of the issues observed through the electoral process were due to lack of clarity of the new local government system among the stakeholders involved in the conduct of elections – voters, candidates, election/government staff and polling staff. Equally critical was the legislative areas with respect to the rights and entitlement of the voters and responding mandate of the ECP to protect them.
Fafen’s initial findings also showed that political parties and candidates were freely breaching the electoral law that bars all sorts of canvassing within 200 metres radius of the polling stations.
Campaigning of candidates went on freely at the party camps set up close to the polling stations with no action reported from any to curb these activities.
The report says that 13 per cent of the polling stations started polling late and polling was delayed in 14 of the 24 districts. The slow process also prolonged voting beyond polling hours and polling continued after 8:00pm in places like Abbottabad and Battagram.
It says 81 incidents of violence were reported from 19 districts. Incident of systematic or traditional barriers to women voting were reported from at least one polling station in 80 of 462 wards.
In its recommendations, Fafen says that the existing legal and administrative framework, as proposed by the provinces for the conduct of local government elections, is inadequate to meet the internationally accepted and constitutionally endorsed standards of electoral freedom, fairness, neutrality and transparency.
Fafen proposes a federal legislation to define the role of ECP to conduct consistent, free and fair local government elections and to protect the rights and entitlements of voters as well as candidates as granted in the Constitution.
Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2015
Women in Upper Dir cast votes after four decades
UPPER DIR/MINGORA: The women in Upper Dir, after several decades, cast their votes in the Saturday’s local government elections.
However, a clash over the issue of women vote left at least seven activists of PTI and JI inured in Wari, the second largest town in the district. In the past, local politicians and elders received harsh criticism from rights organisations for not allowing women to exercise their right to vote.
Sources said that by Saturday noon, two women managed to cast their votes in the far-off Barawal area. Although casting votes by the two women failed to encourage other women voters in Barawal, it alerted political parties in other areas of the district.
In Wari, women voters suddenly started showing up at 4pm at four polling stations. The local people said that JI asked its women members and supporters in Wari to come to the polling stations and cast their votes.
Female voters disenfranchised in parts of Swat
They said that hundreds of women voters thronged the four polling stations established at Government Primary School Kakad, Government Girls High School Wari Payeen, Government High School Wari Bala and Government Primay School Wari Payeen.
They said that Awami Ittehad, an alliance of the disgruntled candidates of PPP and JI and PTI, also brought out their women voters. The local people said that polling staff stopped women from entering the polling stations at 4:40pm, 20 minutes before the closing time. All those women, who had entered the polling stations by 4:40pm, were allowed to cast votes.
The PTI workers, they said, protested when their women voters were not allowed to enter the polling stations. It led to exchange of harsh words among the PTI workers and activists of other parties. A PTI worker, eyewitness said, was knifed and injured. He was shifted to the nearby hospital where activists of different political parties gathered.
A clash erupted in the hospital in which knives, batons and stones were used. At least seven persons received injuries in the clash. Eyewitnesses said that police did not intervene to stop the fight.
Army troops were called in to control the situation. It was unclear as to how many women cast their votes in the district, however, it was a historic day because they exercised their right to vote for the first time after the 1970 elections.
In Swat, the rights activists have criticised those elements, who barred women from casting their votes in some areas of the district in the local government elections.
Although in most of the areas in the district women exercised their rights to vote, yet in some areas even a single woman didn’t cast her vote. The women polling stations in such areas including Chatekal, Shukhdara, Khazana, Odigram, Guli Bagh, Fatehpur and Kabal wore a deserted look.
“Our men did not allow us to go to the polling station,” said a woman teacher in Galoch area of Kabal tehsil.
There was no separate polling station for women in some areas which also became a hurdle to women voting. “It was not possible to go to the same polling station. It was so congested that even 50 per cent of men could not cast their votes,” said Rashid Khan, a resident of Chatekal.
Although no written agreement was made about barring women from casting votes, yet men didn’t allow their women relatives to visit the polling stations.
“It was planned as no political party sent its polling agent to the polling station,” said Sultana Kausar, a presiding officer at a women polling station in Odigram.
Some local people said that participation of women in election process was not important as they could not cast their votes against the wishes of their men.
However, social and human rights activists criticised local men for not allowing women to cast their votes in the name of culture and traditions.
“The women, who were not allowed to cast their votes, frequently visit the office of Benazir Income Support Programme to get money. It is strange that they did not come out to cast their votes as it is their constitutional right,” said Amjad Sahab.
Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185481/women-in-upper-dir-cast-votes-after-four-decades
ANP stages a comeback in Swabi
PML-N consolidates position in Abbottabad
Upper, Lower Dir remain Jamaat stronghold
PTI wins majority in Haripur, Karak
Re-poll ordered in 26 polling stations of Peshawar
PESHAWAR: Peshawar district returning officer on Sunday announced re-polling in 26 polling stations in different areas of the provincial capital where the voting process was either suspended on the election-day or not conducted properly.
Sources said that a decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of all 36 returning officers with the district returning officer Riaz Mehsud, who is also Deputy Commissioner Peshawar.
“Strict action will be taken against the polling staff (mostly government schoolteachers) who remained absent from duty at the respective polling stations which embarrassed the government,” one of the retuning officers, who attended the meeting, told Dawn.
However, the meeting was silent over the inefficiency of the police which failed to maintain order due to which the polling process was very slow causing huge rush of people at polling stations.
It is worth mentioning here that the provincial government and police bosses are tight lipped over the poor performance of police in managing the unruly people inside the polling stations.
Due to slow process and mismanagement a large number of people were deprived of casting vote.
Observers believe that the Saturday election was the most chaotic and mismanaged local government elections ever held as majority of polling stations were marred by different problems, including non-availability of electricity, lack of proper training of polling staff, laxity of security personnel and time consuming voting process.
At the meeting, it was decided that disciplinary action would be taken against the absent polling staff and they could be sent to jail or terminated from service for not abiding by the government decision, the sources said.
Similarly, they said political workers of different parties involved in hooliganism, harassing the polling staff and mismanagement on the premises of the polling stations would also be dealt with an iron hand.
The meeting was informed that FIR had been registered against 24 persons for violence in the polling stations while police had arrested 106 persons, and recovered four AK-47 rifles and pistols from the hooligans.
Also, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary Amjid Ali Khan has directed all the deputy commissioners, who performed as district returning officers, to immediately submit a report about the violence and mismanagement in the local government elections, sources said.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Riaz Mehsud told Dawn that no leniency would be made with anyone who was responsible for mismanagement or any other violation during the election process. He said he had directed all the returning officers of Peshawar to pinpoint the flaws wherever they witnessed in the election, adding action would be taken against the elements responsible for the flaws.
All arrangements would be made in the polling stations for re-polling, he said.
Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185486/re-poll-ordered-in-26-polling-stations-of-peshawar
Internal rift, nepotism cost PTI dearly in LG elections
PESHAWAR: The local government election has been a replay of the general elections where Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf suffered due to internal rifts and nepotism in distribution of election tickets.
Brothers, relatives and nominees of the ministers and MPAs were rejected by ideological people who had voted to the Imran Khan-led party in the hope of change. Defeat tasted by brothers of MPA Fazal Hakim and MPA Yasin Khalil and relatives of chief minister’s adviser Arif Yousaf in Peshawar are classic examples in this regard.
In many districts, cousins of the lawmakers were rejected by people. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar lost ground to rival parties in his native Swabi, more so because the people there didn’t trust PTI. Mr Qaisar’s another brother was an elected MNA. The people’s response in Mardan is noteworthy. The Awami National Party emerged on the scene due to selection of better candidates.
In Rustam, Mardan, ANP’s Ishaq Khan won the UC seat against the PTI candidate in May 30 polls. In Swabi, the people didn’t vote for Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan, a close ally of the PTI in the KP government. The people registered their protest in LG polls against PTI in other districts, too.
Unlike other provinces, it’s not easy to win seats in KP districts like Mardan and other central areas on the basis of wealth, influence or money.
‘Unpopular’ brothers, cousins of party lawmakers lose the race
The PTI’s ideological lot had been holding protests and press conferences against award of tickets before the local government polls. The cries went unheard.
But as they say, they wouldn’t give a walkover to those who had hijacked the party after winning the intra-party polls by virtue of which they had later the party tickets and managed to become part of the KP government. The same elections have now been declared by the PTI election tribunal null and void because of fraud.
There’s always an atmosphere of war between the new and old PTI workers. The latter refer themselves as ideological and vow to battle the new entrants who had nothing to do with PTI’s agenda of change. MPAs and MNAs who actually allotted tickets in the LG polls ignored prominent workers who won as independents. The results could have been better for PTI had it distributed the tickets on merit.
Fayaz Khalil, a senior provincial leader, won the election in independent capacity, defeating several candidates only because the PTI voters went with him in UC-49, Tehkal, Peshawar.
Atif Haleem of PTI failed to become member of Town-1 in the presence of a man who ran independently and received votes from ideological workers. In Southern districts, the party lost seats due to award of tickets to wrong people.
Sardar Sher Bahadur, the PTI president of Abbottabad district, won his district seat not on the party ticket, but as an independent candidate. He was known by people as a real worker who supported the agenda of making ‘new Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’.
In UC-40, PTI’s Arbab Shafaat lost to PPP’s Arbab Zarak. The former could have won had the ideological workers not been in the contest who together grabbed five times more votes than the margin by which the PTI ticket-holder lost.
PTI’s Mujahid Ali faced a similar problem in UC-36, Peshawar. In Palosai UC in Peshawar, the PTI candidate was at fourth position on the list of vote-getters as an old party member hadn’t been given ticket due to which the diehard workers didn’t turn up, like they did in the last election.
An earlier version of the story had erroneously included the name of MPA Atif Khan among those whose family members had suffered defeat. The mistake is regretted.
Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185485/internal-rift-nepotism-cost-pti-dearly-in-lg-elections
Fafen sees irregularities in LG polls
ESHAWAR: A day after the local government polls, the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) in its preliminary report points
out irregularities and mismanagement as the major issues reported by its 987 observers from 462 wards of 24 districts in the province.
Speaking at a press conference here on Sunday, Fafen chairperson in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Zaheer Khattak said that eight per cent increase was observed in the number of registered voters compared to the 2013 general election.
Read: Six people killed in clashes during Khyber Pakhtunkhwa LG polls
However, he said that due to mismanagement as many votes might have not been polled as the number of voters who turned up at polling stations.
He also said that the polling process was lengthy and slow.
Nearly 13 per cent of the polling stations were reported to have opened after the official polling time of 8:00am.
Maimoona Noor, member board of trustees Fafen, said that LG polls was a big exercise so like previous LG polls these should have been held phase-wise.
She said that women did come out to vote, but there was mismanagement.
Fafen chief executive Shahid Fayyaz shared details of the report and said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) did not give any guidelines to voters or even candidates.
The process of polling with a multi-coloured ballot paper was also confusing for many. Women’s participation was also ineffective as polling was marred by irregularities, mismanagement and even violence at many places.
Also read: Women ‘lacked knowledge’ of polling process
Referring to some observations recorded by the observers and included in the preliminary report about May 30 LG polls, Fafen stated that though the campaign period remained largely peaceful, the polling day was marked by administrative mismanagement, extremely slow processing of voters, procedural irregularities and several reports of violence and bar on women.
Despite the massive scale and evolving legislative and regulatory framework, ECP managed to conduct the polls on the designated date.
The report says that many Fafen sees irregularities, major issues in LG polls of the issues observed through the electoral process were due to lack of clarity of the new local government system among the stakeholders involved in the conduct of elections – voters, candidates, election/government staff and polling staff. Equally critical was the legislative areas with respect to the rights and entitlement of the voters and responding mandate of the ECP to protect them.
Fafen’s initial findings also showed that political parties and candidates were freely breaching the electoral law that bars all sorts of canvassing within 200 metres radius of the polling stations.
Campaigning of candidates went on freely at the party camps set up close to the polling stations with no action reported from any to curb these activities.
The report says that 13 per cent of the polling stations started polling late and polling was delayed in 14 of the 24 districts. The slow process also prolonged voting beyond polling hours and polling continued after 8:00pm in places like Abbottabad and Battagram.
It says 81 incidents of violence were reported from 19 districts. Incident of systematic or traditional barriers to women voting were reported from at least one polling station in 80 of 462 wards.
In its recommendations, Fafen says that the existing legal and administrative framework, as proposed by the provinces for the conduct of local government elections, is inadequate to meet the internationally accepted and constitutionally endorsed standards of electoral freedom, fairness, neutrality and transparency.
Fafen proposes a federal legislation to define the role of ECP to conduct consistent, free and fair local government elections and to protect the rights and entitlements of voters as well as candidates as granted in the Constitution.
Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2015
Women in Upper Dir cast votes after four decades
UPPER DIR/MINGORA: The women in Upper Dir, after several decades, cast their votes in the Saturday’s local government elections.
However, a clash over the issue of women vote left at least seven activists of PTI and JI inured in Wari, the second largest town in the district. In the past, local politicians and elders received harsh criticism from rights organisations for not allowing women to exercise their right to vote.
Sources said that by Saturday noon, two women managed to cast their votes in the far-off Barawal area. Although casting votes by the two women failed to encourage other women voters in Barawal, it alerted political parties in other areas of the district.
In Wari, women voters suddenly started showing up at 4pm at four polling stations. The local people said that JI asked its women members and supporters in Wari to come to the polling stations and cast their votes.
Female voters disenfranchised in parts of Swat
They said that hundreds of women voters thronged the four polling stations established at Government Primary School Kakad, Government Girls High School Wari Payeen, Government High School Wari Bala and Government Primay School Wari Payeen.
They said that Awami Ittehad, an alliance of the disgruntled candidates of PPP and JI and PTI, also brought out their women voters. The local people said that polling staff stopped women from entering the polling stations at 4:40pm, 20 minutes before the closing time. All those women, who had entered the polling stations by 4:40pm, were allowed to cast votes.
The PTI workers, they said, protested when their women voters were not allowed to enter the polling stations. It led to exchange of harsh words among the PTI workers and activists of other parties. A PTI worker, eyewitness said, was knifed and injured. He was shifted to the nearby hospital where activists of different political parties gathered.
A clash erupted in the hospital in which knives, batons and stones were used. At least seven persons received injuries in the clash. Eyewitnesses said that police did not intervene to stop the fight.
Army troops were called in to control the situation. It was unclear as to how many women cast their votes in the district, however, it was a historic day because they exercised their right to vote for the first time after the 1970 elections.
In Swat, the rights activists have criticised those elements, who barred women from casting their votes in some areas of the district in the local government elections.
Although in most of the areas in the district women exercised their rights to vote, yet in some areas even a single woman didn’t cast her vote. The women polling stations in such areas including Chatekal, Shukhdara, Khazana, Odigram, Guli Bagh, Fatehpur and Kabal wore a deserted look.
“Our men did not allow us to go to the polling station,” said a woman teacher in Galoch area of Kabal tehsil.
There was no separate polling station for women in some areas which also became a hurdle to women voting. “It was not possible to go to the same polling station. It was so congested that even 50 per cent of men could not cast their votes,” said Rashid Khan, a resident of Chatekal.
Although no written agreement was made about barring women from casting votes, yet men didn’t allow their women relatives to visit the polling stations.
“It was planned as no political party sent its polling agent to the polling station,” said Sultana Kausar, a presiding officer at a women polling station in Odigram.
Some local people said that participation of women in election process was not important as they could not cast their votes against the wishes of their men.
However, social and human rights activists criticised local men for not allowing women to cast their votes in the name of culture and traditions.
“The women, who were not allowed to cast their votes, frequently visit the office of Benazir Income Support Programme to get money. It is strange that they did not come out to cast their votes as it is their constitutional right,” said Amjad Sahab.
Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185481/women-in-upper-dir-cast-votes-after-four-decades
ANP stages a comeback in Swabi
PML-N consolidates position in Abbottabad
Upper, Lower Dir remain Jamaat stronghold
PTI wins majority in Haripur, Karak
Re-poll ordered in 26 polling stations of Peshawar
PESHAWAR: Peshawar district returning officer on Sunday announced re-polling in 26 polling stations in different areas of the provincial capital where the voting process was either suspended on the election-day or not conducted properly.
Sources said that a decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of all 36 returning officers with the district returning officer Riaz Mehsud, who is also Deputy Commissioner Peshawar.
“Strict action will be taken against the polling staff (mostly government schoolteachers) who remained absent from duty at the respective polling stations which embarrassed the government,” one of the retuning officers, who attended the meeting, told Dawn.
However, the meeting was silent over the inefficiency of the police which failed to maintain order due to which the polling process was very slow causing huge rush of people at polling stations.
It is worth mentioning here that the provincial government and police bosses are tight lipped over the poor performance of police in managing the unruly people inside the polling stations.
Due to slow process and mismanagement a large number of people were deprived of casting vote.
Observers believe that the Saturday election was the most chaotic and mismanaged local government elections ever held as majority of polling stations were marred by different problems, including non-availability of electricity, lack of proper training of polling staff, laxity of security personnel and time consuming voting process.
At the meeting, it was decided that disciplinary action would be taken against the absent polling staff and they could be sent to jail or terminated from service for not abiding by the government decision, the sources said.
Similarly, they said political workers of different parties involved in hooliganism, harassing the polling staff and mismanagement on the premises of the polling stations would also be dealt with an iron hand.
The meeting was informed that FIR had been registered against 24 persons for violence in the polling stations while police had arrested 106 persons, and recovered four AK-47 rifles and pistols from the hooligans.
Also, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary Amjid Ali Khan has directed all the deputy commissioners, who performed as district returning officers, to immediately submit a report about the violence and mismanagement in the local government elections, sources said.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Riaz Mehsud told Dawn that no leniency would be made with anyone who was responsible for mismanagement or any other violation during the election process. He said he had directed all the returning officers of Peshawar to pinpoint the flaws wherever they witnessed in the election, adding action would be taken against the elements responsible for the flaws.
All arrangements would be made in the polling stations for re-polling, he said.
Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185486/re-poll-ordered-in-26-polling-stations-of-peshawar
Last edited:
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Dawn- June 02, 2015
Lack of uplift blamed for PTI’s poor polls performance in Swat
MINGORA: Observers have claimed lack of development work in Swat district during the last two years is to blame for the ruling PTI’s failure to do well during the local body elections in the district.
Despite having six MPAs and two MNAs from Swat, the Imran Khan-led party faced defeat even in its strongholds in the district.
Political observer Amjad Ali told Dawn on Monday that PTI leaders claimed the party’s government had improved health services in Swat but the ground realities belied the assertion.
“Patient care has worsened at major Swat hospitals, where not only equipment, especially CT scan and X-ray machines, have long been out of order but there are complaints of medicine shortage and staff absenteeism. At Saidu Teaching Hospital, you can’t find a good doctor on the weekend, while hepatitis vaccines are in short supply for year now,” said Amjad Ali.
He said the government had launched no project in the district to reconstruct the infrastructure destroyed by conflict and floods.
Another political observer, Hassan Chattan, also blamed the PTI’s poor performance in elections on non-development in the district.
“Though we’ve heard a lot about mega development projects in Swat, there is nothing on the ground,” he said.
Social activist Zubair Torwali of Bahrain said local PTI MNAs and MPAs had failed to fulfil their election promises of the people’s development causing the party’s poor performance in the Swat local body elections.
“Our people’s romance with PTI appears to be over. They’re now looking up to other parties, especially PML-N, for development,” he said.
Some observers raised questions about the distribution of PTI tickets for district and tehsil seats and said the ruling party fielded candidates on the basis of nepotism by and large.
PTI won 24 of 67 district council seats and 25 of 67 tehsil council seats.
The ruling party was followed by PML-N, which won 21 district council and nine tehsil council seats.
In Kabal tehsil, ANP grabbed five district council and two tehsil council seats, while PTI could secure four district council and two tehsil council seats.
Three district council seats went to independent candidates.
Jamaat-i-Islami got four seats in the tehsil council, PML-N three and JUI-F one.
In Khwazakhela, PML-N got four of the seven district council seats, PTI two and ANP one.
PML-N grabbed three tehsil council seats, PTI two and JUI-F and independent candidate one each.
In Charbagh tehsil, PML-N secured three of the five district council seats and JUI-F and independent candidate one each.
PTI and JUI-F won two of the five tehsil council seats each and PML-N one.
In Matta, PTI secured victory in seven district and eight tehsil council seats and ANP two district and three tehsil council seats.
PML-N won three district council seats but didn’t get any seat in tehsil council.
JI got one district council seat and independent candidates the remaining two seats in tehsil councils.
Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185655/lack-of-uplift-blamed-for-ptis-poor-polls-performance-in-swat
Candidates threaten protest if re-polling not ordered in Karak
KARAK: The losing candidates on Monday threatened to launch a protest movement if the election commission didn’t order re-polling in Karak district, where they alleged mismanagement and irregularities marred the polling process.
The candidates, including PTI aspirant for district councillor seat Malik Abdul Qadir, and independents Mohammad Hayat, Mohammad Yousaf and Noor Islam and others, staged a sit-in at the Baz Mohammad Chowk here.
Speaking on the occasion, they rejected the results of the elections and regretted that PTI chairman Imran Khan had been staging sit-ins against the rigging in the last general elections, but his own government in KP had failed to ensure free and fair polls in the province.
They said that deployment of only two police personnel at each polling station was a joke with the people and alleged that the election staff also got involved in rigging.
Malik Qadir said there were no arrangements by the government to stop hooliganism and ballot snatching. He alleged that some candidates turned their defeats into successes through negative tactics. He also resolved to move court against the irregularities.
The candidates resolved that they would continue the protest until they were given justice, and demanded of the government to order re-election under the army.
Later, the protesting candidates marched to the office of Deputy Commissioner Shoaib Jadoon, who is also district returning officer, and met with him.
Mr Jadoon informed the candidates that there were 49 polling stations in the district where polling process was marred by mismanagement and irregularities. However, he said to order re-polling was not his responsibility. He said that he would send a report to the election commission, recommending re-polling in these polling stations.
On the assurance of the deputy commissioner, the protesters dispersed peacefully.
Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185657/candidates-threaten-protest-if-re-polling-not-ordered-in-karak
PTI edges out rivals in six districts
ABBOTTABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf edged out rival parties to secure first place during the local body elections in Abbottabad, Mansehra, Battagram, Kohat, Dera Ismail Khan and Tank districts.
According to unofficial results, the Imran Khan-led party secured 22 of the 51 district council seats in Abbottabad.
It was followed by PML-N with 20 seats, independents with eight and Jamaat-i-Islami one.
Noted among winning PTI candidates are Ali Khan Jadoon, Iqbal Khan, Shaukat Tanoli, Malik Safdar, Azizur Rehman, Aurangzeb Khan, Babu Khushal, Sardar Saeed Anwar, Babu Muhammad Iqbal, Aurangzeb Khan, Sajjad Khan, Faisal Khan, Sardar Malik Muhammad Maroof, Javed Khan, Ghazanfar Ali Abbasi, Zaheer Abbasi, Colonel (r) Shabbir, Nazeer Abbasi, Sardar Waqar Nabi, Chaudhry Jahangir, Sajid Abbasi and Sajjad.
Successful PML-N candidates are Mohammad Naheed Awan, Nadeem Mughal, Shoukat Haroon, Sardar Shamoon Yar Khan, Qazi Abid Suhrab, Haji Saddique, Haji Javed, Sardar Rustam, Khalid Nawaz Abbasi, Haji Mazhar, Iftikhar Abbasi, Anees Abbasi, Tahir Abbasi, Sardar Salem, Gulzar Khan, Fazal-e-Raheem, Haji Pervez, Amjad Ali, Irhsad Khan and Faisal Khan.
The lone winning JI candidate is Sardar Fakhar Alam, who won election from Malikpura, where he defeated PTI candidate by a big margin.
Noted among independent candidates, who won elections, are Sardar Sher Bahadar, who was PTI district president and was not given ticket, and Waseem Khan Jadoon, who was the president of PPP youth wing.
Other winning independent candidates are Kamran Gul Advocate, Shah Nawaz Tanoli, Sardar Gohar Zaman, Sardar Hukam Dad, Asif Awan and Sardar Fayaz, who was supported by PTI MPA Sardar Mohammad Idress against the PTI nominee in Nathiagali.
Losers allege rigging in LG elections
Though election results of three polling stations in Sarbanha union council has been stopped, the PTI candidate appeared to be in the lead. His positions is likely to be unchanged even if he lost elections in the three polling stations in question.
Many candidates approached returning officers and district returning officer with complaints of alleged cheating and bogus voting by rival candidates.
In Kohat, PTI won 11 seats, JUI-F four, independents 13 and PML-N, ANP, PPP and JI one each in 32 union councils of Kohat district.
The announcement of unofficial election results was delayed due to the disappearance of ballot boxes and suspension of polling at various stations. The Kohat election commission said fresh polling would be held at the affected polling stations for which a date would be announced later.
Provincial law minister Imtiaz Shahid Qureshi declared the PTI victory an ample proof of its popularity among local population and said if anybody proved that a single bogus vote was polled in the elections, he would quit as MPA.
He said amongst the independents, many were PTI supporters and that they would make join PTI shortly.
In Batkhela, a Malakand protected area, PTI won nine seats, PPP eight, independents six, JUI-F two and one each by ANP and JI.
PPP provincial general secretary Humayun Khan rejected the local government election results and demanded re-polling under the judiciary.
He alleged that the ruling PTI had rigged elections and stopped PPP workers from casting votes.
Humayun also claimed presiding officers stamped ballot papers in favour of PTI candidates.
In DI Khan district, PTI has edged out other parties in local body elections by securing 14 district council seats, followed by JUI-F and independents six each, PPP three and JI one, while in Tank district, PTI won six district council seats, JUI-F five, independents four and PPP one.
In Mansehra, the independents seem to play an important role in formation of district and tehsil governments as according to unofficial results they are leading in the district by grabbing 24 sets, followed by PML-N with 17 and PTI with 13.
However, PTI is likely to form the district government in Mansehra with the help of independents. “We are going to install our government in the district and two tehsils as our allies and we have secured 35 seats,” said Senator Azam Khan Swati of PTI told journalists.
PTI is also likely to install its district government in Battagram as it is the only majority party in the district, having 10 councillors of 20 wards/union councils.
Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185664/pti-edges-out-rivals-in-six-districts
Lack of uplift blamed for PTI’s poor polls performance in Swat
MINGORA: Observers have claimed lack of development work in Swat district during the last two years is to blame for the ruling PTI’s failure to do well during the local body elections in the district.
Despite having six MPAs and two MNAs from Swat, the Imran Khan-led party faced defeat even in its strongholds in the district.
Political observer Amjad Ali told Dawn on Monday that PTI leaders claimed the party’s government had improved health services in Swat but the ground realities belied the assertion.
“Patient care has worsened at major Swat hospitals, where not only equipment, especially CT scan and X-ray machines, have long been out of order but there are complaints of medicine shortage and staff absenteeism. At Saidu Teaching Hospital, you can’t find a good doctor on the weekend, while hepatitis vaccines are in short supply for year now,” said Amjad Ali.
He said the government had launched no project in the district to reconstruct the infrastructure destroyed by conflict and floods.
Another political observer, Hassan Chattan, also blamed the PTI’s poor performance in elections on non-development in the district.
“Though we’ve heard a lot about mega development projects in Swat, there is nothing on the ground,” he said.
Social activist Zubair Torwali of Bahrain said local PTI MNAs and MPAs had failed to fulfil their election promises of the people’s development causing the party’s poor performance in the Swat local body elections.
“Our people’s romance with PTI appears to be over. They’re now looking up to other parties, especially PML-N, for development,” he said.
Some observers raised questions about the distribution of PTI tickets for district and tehsil seats and said the ruling party fielded candidates on the basis of nepotism by and large.
PTI won 24 of 67 district council seats and 25 of 67 tehsil council seats.
The ruling party was followed by PML-N, which won 21 district council and nine tehsil council seats.
In Kabal tehsil, ANP grabbed five district council and two tehsil council seats, while PTI could secure four district council and two tehsil council seats.
Three district council seats went to independent candidates.
Jamaat-i-Islami got four seats in the tehsil council, PML-N three and JUI-F one.
In Khwazakhela, PML-N got four of the seven district council seats, PTI two and ANP one.
PML-N grabbed three tehsil council seats, PTI two and JUI-F and independent candidate one each.
In Charbagh tehsil, PML-N secured three of the five district council seats and JUI-F and independent candidate one each.
PTI and JUI-F won two of the five tehsil council seats each and PML-N one.
In Matta, PTI secured victory in seven district and eight tehsil council seats and ANP two district and three tehsil council seats.
PML-N won three district council seats but didn’t get any seat in tehsil council.
JI got one district council seat and independent candidates the remaining two seats in tehsil councils.
Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185655/lack-of-uplift-blamed-for-ptis-poor-polls-performance-in-swat
Candidates threaten protest if re-polling not ordered in Karak
KARAK: The losing candidates on Monday threatened to launch a protest movement if the election commission didn’t order re-polling in Karak district, where they alleged mismanagement and irregularities marred the polling process.
The candidates, including PTI aspirant for district councillor seat Malik Abdul Qadir, and independents Mohammad Hayat, Mohammad Yousaf and Noor Islam and others, staged a sit-in at the Baz Mohammad Chowk here.
Speaking on the occasion, they rejected the results of the elections and regretted that PTI chairman Imran Khan had been staging sit-ins against the rigging in the last general elections, but his own government in KP had failed to ensure free and fair polls in the province.
They said that deployment of only two police personnel at each polling station was a joke with the people and alleged that the election staff also got involved in rigging.
Malik Qadir said there were no arrangements by the government to stop hooliganism and ballot snatching. He alleged that some candidates turned their defeats into successes through negative tactics. He also resolved to move court against the irregularities.
The candidates resolved that they would continue the protest until they were given justice, and demanded of the government to order re-election under the army.
Later, the protesting candidates marched to the office of Deputy Commissioner Shoaib Jadoon, who is also district returning officer, and met with him.
Mr Jadoon informed the candidates that there were 49 polling stations in the district where polling process was marred by mismanagement and irregularities. However, he said to order re-polling was not his responsibility. He said that he would send a report to the election commission, recommending re-polling in these polling stations.
On the assurance of the deputy commissioner, the protesters dispersed peacefully.
Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185657/candidates-threaten-protest-if-re-polling-not-ordered-in-karak
PTI edges out rivals in six districts
ABBOTTABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf edged out rival parties to secure first place during the local body elections in Abbottabad, Mansehra, Battagram, Kohat, Dera Ismail Khan and Tank districts.
According to unofficial results, the Imran Khan-led party secured 22 of the 51 district council seats in Abbottabad.
It was followed by PML-N with 20 seats, independents with eight and Jamaat-i-Islami one.
Noted among winning PTI candidates are Ali Khan Jadoon, Iqbal Khan, Shaukat Tanoli, Malik Safdar, Azizur Rehman, Aurangzeb Khan, Babu Khushal, Sardar Saeed Anwar, Babu Muhammad Iqbal, Aurangzeb Khan, Sajjad Khan, Faisal Khan, Sardar Malik Muhammad Maroof, Javed Khan, Ghazanfar Ali Abbasi, Zaheer Abbasi, Colonel (r) Shabbir, Nazeer Abbasi, Sardar Waqar Nabi, Chaudhry Jahangir, Sajid Abbasi and Sajjad.
Successful PML-N candidates are Mohammad Naheed Awan, Nadeem Mughal, Shoukat Haroon, Sardar Shamoon Yar Khan, Qazi Abid Suhrab, Haji Saddique, Haji Javed, Sardar Rustam, Khalid Nawaz Abbasi, Haji Mazhar, Iftikhar Abbasi, Anees Abbasi, Tahir Abbasi, Sardar Salem, Gulzar Khan, Fazal-e-Raheem, Haji Pervez, Amjad Ali, Irhsad Khan and Faisal Khan.
The lone winning JI candidate is Sardar Fakhar Alam, who won election from Malikpura, where he defeated PTI candidate by a big margin.
Noted among independent candidates, who won elections, are Sardar Sher Bahadar, who was PTI district president and was not given ticket, and Waseem Khan Jadoon, who was the president of PPP youth wing.
Other winning independent candidates are Kamran Gul Advocate, Shah Nawaz Tanoli, Sardar Gohar Zaman, Sardar Hukam Dad, Asif Awan and Sardar Fayaz, who was supported by PTI MPA Sardar Mohammad Idress against the PTI nominee in Nathiagali.
Losers allege rigging in LG elections
Though election results of three polling stations in Sarbanha union council has been stopped, the PTI candidate appeared to be in the lead. His positions is likely to be unchanged even if he lost elections in the three polling stations in question.
Many candidates approached returning officers and district returning officer with complaints of alleged cheating and bogus voting by rival candidates.
In Kohat, PTI won 11 seats, JUI-F four, independents 13 and PML-N, ANP, PPP and JI one each in 32 union councils of Kohat district.
The announcement of unofficial election results was delayed due to the disappearance of ballot boxes and suspension of polling at various stations. The Kohat election commission said fresh polling would be held at the affected polling stations for which a date would be announced later.
Provincial law minister Imtiaz Shahid Qureshi declared the PTI victory an ample proof of its popularity among local population and said if anybody proved that a single bogus vote was polled in the elections, he would quit as MPA.
He said amongst the independents, many were PTI supporters and that they would make join PTI shortly.
In Batkhela, a Malakand protected area, PTI won nine seats, PPP eight, independents six, JUI-F two and one each by ANP and JI.
PPP provincial general secretary Humayun Khan rejected the local government election results and demanded re-polling under the judiciary.
He alleged that the ruling PTI had rigged elections and stopped PPP workers from casting votes.
Humayun also claimed presiding officers stamped ballot papers in favour of PTI candidates.
In DI Khan district, PTI has edged out other parties in local body elections by securing 14 district council seats, followed by JUI-F and independents six each, PPP three and JI one, while in Tank district, PTI won six district council seats, JUI-F five, independents four and PPP one.
In Mansehra, the independents seem to play an important role in formation of district and tehsil governments as according to unofficial results they are leading in the district by grabbing 24 sets, followed by PML-N with 17 and PTI with 13.
However, PTI is likely to form the district government in Mansehra with the help of independents. “We are going to install our government in the district and two tehsils as our allies and we have secured 35 seats,” said Senator Azam Khan Swati of PTI told journalists.
PTI is also likely to install its district government in Battagram as it is the only majority party in the district, having 10 councillors of 20 wards/union councils.
Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185664/pti-edges-out-rivals-in-six-districts
Last edited:
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Dawn 03 2015
CM’s brother, nephew win seats in Nowshera
NOWSHERA: The brother and nephew of Chief Minister Pervez Khattak were declared successful in the elections to the district and tehsil councils, respectively, according to unofficial results announced by the additional assistant commissioner (revenue), Nowshera, here on Tuesday.
Mr Khattak’s brother, former MPA Liaquat Khattak, who was a PTI nominee, polled 3,834 votes, while Jawad Khattak, son of ANP leader Shahid Khan Khattak, bagged 3,060 votes.
Similarly, the chief minister’s nephew, Ahad Khattak, son of Liaquat Khattak, received 3,826 votes against ANP’s Najum ul Hassan, who polled 3,254 votes.
Meanwhile, the district returning officer has recommended 87 polling stations for re-polling due to irregularities and mismanagement.
According to an official letter issued here on Tuesday, people snatched ballot boxes from these polling stations, suspending the election process, therefore, re-polling was recommended on these stations in different union councils.
It was also observed that poll symbols of the candidates were not printed on the ballot papers at 20 polling stations due to which election process couldn’t be completed.
Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185876/cms-brother-nephew-win-seats-in-nowshera
KP to get due share in power generation
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be provided its full share of 13.4 per cent of the total electricity production on daily basis and the access electricity available at any feeder will be shifted to other feeders to reduce loadshedding in the province.
The provincial government will fully support the Peshawar Electric Supply Company to launch an operation against power stealing throughout the province. However, Pesco will take strict action against its officials for their connivance in the power theft.
The issue of payment of outstanding dues to the KP government by the federal government on account of net hydel profit will be taken up at the Council of Common Interest (CCI) for a sustainable resolution of the issue.
These decisions were taken in a high-level meeting of the provincial and federal governments held at the CM Secretariat on Tuesday with Chief Minister Pervez Khattak in the chair.
Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Mohammad Asif, Minister for Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali, concerned provincial ministers and secretaries, chief secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, additional chief secretary, chairman Wapda, Pesco chief, FBR authorities and other high-ranking officers attended the meeting.
CM chairs meeting attended by Khawaja Asif, Khaqan Abbasi and Abid Sher
The chief minister presented demands of the provincial government, mainly related to the power loadshedding, payment of net hydel profit and its arrears to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, royalty on gas and LPG, the provincial share in federal taxes, permission to generate electricity from the provincial gas reserves, replacement of defective power transformers, anti-power theft measures, provision of new transformers, and provision of electricity connections to the public health schemes and new schools and hospitals of the province.
The meeting decided that the issue of net hydel profit would be taken to the CCI for its permanent resolution. The meeting agreed on the load management arrangements suggested by the chief minister for controlling access and unannounced loadshedding in the province, and it was assured by the federal power minister to release full share of electricity to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and fully utilise this share for mitigating the loadshedding.
It was decided that more electricity would be provided to those feeders where the line losses were quite low whereas power outages on the feeders suffering 70 per cent and above line losses would not be reduced until the power theft was overcome.
The meeting also decided that the provincial government and Pesco would launch a joint operation against electricity stealing and the chief minister assured full cooperation in this regard. He, however, stressed that Pesco should take strict action against its officials for their involvement in power theft.
He also floated certain proposals for overcoming the line losses which were accepted by the federal minister.
It was decided that Pesco would provide details of power production and its allocation at all the feeders to the provincial government three times daily. Schedule of loadshedding will also be shared with the provincial government daily and the consumers will be informed about it at district level, the meeting decided.
Pesco assured the provincial government to provide transformers and electricity connections to all new public health schemes, schools and hospitals by the end of current month and that it would make available all new transformers by December for which the MPAs had already made payments.
The provincial government also raised issues regarding oil and gas and it was decided that the matter of gas provision to local population residing around gas fields of Karak district would be resolve through a jirga comprising the federal and the provincial governments’ representatives.
On a demand, the federal minister for natural resources agreed to grant permission to the provincial government for generating electricity from surplus gas reserves of the province.
A consensus on both sides was also evolved for removing impediments to 72-kilometre Kohat gas pipeline and establishment of oil refineries in southern districts of the province.
Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185879/kp-to-get-due-share-in-power-generation
Six-party alliance against PTI in Swat
MINGORA: Six major political parties have formed a grand alliance in order to form local government in the Swat district.
The allied parties are Pakistan Muslim League-N, Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F, Jamaat-i-Islami, Qaumi Watan Party and Pakistan People’s Party.
Speaking to reporters, the local leaders of the parties said that the alliance would be formed at the district and tehsil levels.
“The mismanagement and rigging in the LG polls and interference of PTI lawmakers into the polling process has forced us to form an alliance. It will be for the benefit of the people irrespective of party lines,” said Amir Muqam, adviser to the prime minister and PML-N provincial president.
He said Imran Khan and the provincial government of PTI were incapable of running the government. “We are united on one platform to form government in the district and tehsils as we have 37 seats in total,” he added.
ANP district president Sher Shah Khan said the six-party alliance had been formed to lift the sufferings caused to the people of Swat during the last two years. “The PTI-led provincial government violated the code of conduct set by the ECP for LG polls and lavishly spent provincial funds on the developmental projects during the election campaign,” he said.
Sher Khan asked the PML-N government in the centre to announce projects for development of Swat. “If, on the demand of Imran Khan, a judicial commission can be formed to investigate alleged rigging in last general elections, a judicial commission should also be formed to investigate the rigging and mismanagement in the LG polls in KP,” demanded Fazal Rahman Nono, QWP’s local leader.
Qair Mufti Mahmood, JUI-F leader, claimed that the LB polls were massively rigged, which had no precedent in the country’s history. He said the PTI leadership didn’t do what it claimed to do in the province.
PPP district president Shamsher Ali Advocate claimed that the six-party alliance would be beneficial for Swatis. Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185881/six-party-alliance-against-pti-in-swat
ANP district chief frontrunner for Swabi nazim
Independents to play key role in Kohat
CM’s brother, nephew win seats in Nowshera
NOWSHERA: The brother and nephew of Chief Minister Pervez Khattak were declared successful in the elections to the district and tehsil councils, respectively, according to unofficial results announced by the additional assistant commissioner (revenue), Nowshera, here on Tuesday.
Mr Khattak’s brother, former MPA Liaquat Khattak, who was a PTI nominee, polled 3,834 votes, while Jawad Khattak, son of ANP leader Shahid Khan Khattak, bagged 3,060 votes.
Similarly, the chief minister’s nephew, Ahad Khattak, son of Liaquat Khattak, received 3,826 votes against ANP’s Najum ul Hassan, who polled 3,254 votes.
Meanwhile, the district returning officer has recommended 87 polling stations for re-polling due to irregularities and mismanagement.
According to an official letter issued here on Tuesday, people snatched ballot boxes from these polling stations, suspending the election process, therefore, re-polling was recommended on these stations in different union councils.
It was also observed that poll symbols of the candidates were not printed on the ballot papers at 20 polling stations due to which election process couldn’t be completed.
Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185876/cms-brother-nephew-win-seats-in-nowshera
KP to get due share in power generation
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be provided its full share of 13.4 per cent of the total electricity production on daily basis and the access electricity available at any feeder will be shifted to other feeders to reduce loadshedding in the province.
The provincial government will fully support the Peshawar Electric Supply Company to launch an operation against power stealing throughout the province. However, Pesco will take strict action against its officials for their connivance in the power theft.
The issue of payment of outstanding dues to the KP government by the federal government on account of net hydel profit will be taken up at the Council of Common Interest (CCI) for a sustainable resolution of the issue.
These decisions were taken in a high-level meeting of the provincial and federal governments held at the CM Secretariat on Tuesday with Chief Minister Pervez Khattak in the chair.
Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Mohammad Asif, Minister for Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali, concerned provincial ministers and secretaries, chief secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, additional chief secretary, chairman Wapda, Pesco chief, FBR authorities and other high-ranking officers attended the meeting.
CM chairs meeting attended by Khawaja Asif, Khaqan Abbasi and Abid Sher
The chief minister presented demands of the provincial government, mainly related to the power loadshedding, payment of net hydel profit and its arrears to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, royalty on gas and LPG, the provincial share in federal taxes, permission to generate electricity from the provincial gas reserves, replacement of defective power transformers, anti-power theft measures, provision of new transformers, and provision of electricity connections to the public health schemes and new schools and hospitals of the province.
The meeting decided that the issue of net hydel profit would be taken to the CCI for its permanent resolution. The meeting agreed on the load management arrangements suggested by the chief minister for controlling access and unannounced loadshedding in the province, and it was assured by the federal power minister to release full share of electricity to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and fully utilise this share for mitigating the loadshedding.
It was decided that more electricity would be provided to those feeders where the line losses were quite low whereas power outages on the feeders suffering 70 per cent and above line losses would not be reduced until the power theft was overcome.
The meeting also decided that the provincial government and Pesco would launch a joint operation against electricity stealing and the chief minister assured full cooperation in this regard. He, however, stressed that Pesco should take strict action against its officials for their involvement in power theft.
He also floated certain proposals for overcoming the line losses which were accepted by the federal minister.
It was decided that Pesco would provide details of power production and its allocation at all the feeders to the provincial government three times daily. Schedule of loadshedding will also be shared with the provincial government daily and the consumers will be informed about it at district level, the meeting decided.
Pesco assured the provincial government to provide transformers and electricity connections to all new public health schemes, schools and hospitals by the end of current month and that it would make available all new transformers by December for which the MPAs had already made payments.
The provincial government also raised issues regarding oil and gas and it was decided that the matter of gas provision to local population residing around gas fields of Karak district would be resolve through a jirga comprising the federal and the provincial governments’ representatives.
On a demand, the federal minister for natural resources agreed to grant permission to the provincial government for generating electricity from surplus gas reserves of the province.
A consensus on both sides was also evolved for removing impediments to 72-kilometre Kohat gas pipeline and establishment of oil refineries in southern districts of the province.
Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185879/kp-to-get-due-share-in-power-generation
Six-party alliance against PTI in Swat
MINGORA: Six major political parties have formed a grand alliance in order to form local government in the Swat district.
The allied parties are Pakistan Muslim League-N, Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F, Jamaat-i-Islami, Qaumi Watan Party and Pakistan People’s Party.
Speaking to reporters, the local leaders of the parties said that the alliance would be formed at the district and tehsil levels.
“The mismanagement and rigging in the LG polls and interference of PTI lawmakers into the polling process has forced us to form an alliance. It will be for the benefit of the people irrespective of party lines,” said Amir Muqam, adviser to the prime minister and PML-N provincial president.
He said Imran Khan and the provincial government of PTI were incapable of running the government. “We are united on one platform to form government in the district and tehsils as we have 37 seats in total,” he added.
ANP district president Sher Shah Khan said the six-party alliance had been formed to lift the sufferings caused to the people of Swat during the last two years. “The PTI-led provincial government violated the code of conduct set by the ECP for LG polls and lavishly spent provincial funds on the developmental projects during the election campaign,” he said.
Sher Khan asked the PML-N government in the centre to announce projects for development of Swat. “If, on the demand of Imran Khan, a judicial commission can be formed to investigate alleged rigging in last general elections, a judicial commission should also be formed to investigate the rigging and mismanagement in the LG polls in KP,” demanded Fazal Rahman Nono, QWP’s local leader.
Qair Mufti Mahmood, JUI-F leader, claimed that the LB polls were massively rigged, which had no precedent in the country’s history. He said the PTI leadership didn’t do what it claimed to do in the province.
PPP district president Shamsher Ali Advocate claimed that the six-party alliance would be beneficial for Swatis. Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185881/six-party-alliance-against-pti-in-swat
ANP district chief frontrunner for Swabi nazim
Independents to play key role in Kohat
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
PHC seeks Imran’s clarification on criticism of DRC stay order
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday expressed displeasure at PTI chairman Imran Khan’s criticism of its orders for the suspension of the functioning of dispute resolution councils in the province and directed the provincial advocate general to clarify the position of the ruling party’s chief (Imran) on the matter during the next hearing.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Mohammad Daud Khan observed that the court had been hearing the issue related to the establishment of DRCs in the province purely on legal grounds and got nothing political in it.
The chief justice observed that while the case had still been pending with the court, in what capacity Imran Khan had commented on its interim order and expressed dismay over it.
The bench adjourned the hearing until June 17 asking advocate general Abdul Lateef Yousafzai to clarify the position of Imran Khan on the matter.
It also ruled that the functioning of DRCs would remain suspended until the next hearing.
The court was hearing a petition of Qaisar Khan against the establishment and functioning of DRCs in the province.
During the last hearing on May 27, the court had suspended the functioning of DRCs on the ground that apparently, the councils in question had been functioning without any legal support.
On May 29, the PTI issued a statement on behalf of Imran Khan expressing dismay over the stay order issued by the PHC against DRCs.
“Imran Khan said the local people in villages were happy with this easy access to justice through dispute resolution committees in local thanas (police stations). For PHC to give a stay order halting the functioning of these committees was undemocratic as PTI was elected on its manifesto promises which it was implementing in KP,” the PTI statement read.
It further read that the PHC stay order would once again deny the poor people the access to easy dispute resolution and justice.
When the bench took up for hearing the case on Tuesday, the advocate general requested the bench to allow him two weeks time for producing relevant documents and written explanation about the formations of the DRCs.
The chief justice drew the attention of the advocate general towards the statement of Imran Khan and observed that the court would decide the matter after considering all the legal points. He observed that the matter would not be decided on political grounds rather it was purely a legal issue.
When the bench inquired from the advocate general whether it should summon Mr Khan the advocate general stated that he may not be summoned and instead he would file explanation on his behalf. The bench directed him to explain his position on next date.
Imtiaz Ahmad, lawyer for the petitioner, said his client, a resident of Hayatabad Township, had a money dispute with another person and that he was put on notice through the police by the DRC set up at West cantonment police station.
He added that when his client did not turn up before the council, he was warned of dire consequences by one of the members and was told that he had to abide by the council’s decision.
Around 50 DRCs have been functioning across the province under a foreign-funded project. Initially, a DRC was established at the Gulbahar police station in Jan 2014.
T
here are also superior panels in DRCs, which hear the cases already decided by the regular panels but are not acceptable to one or the other party.
Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185878/phc-seeks-imrans-clarification-on-criticism-of-drc-stay-order
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday expressed displeasure at PTI chairman Imran Khan’s criticism of its orders for the suspension of the functioning of dispute resolution councils in the province and directed the provincial advocate general to clarify the position of the ruling party’s chief (Imran) on the matter during the next hearing.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Mohammad Daud Khan observed that the court had been hearing the issue related to the establishment of DRCs in the province purely on legal grounds and got nothing political in it.
The chief justice observed that while the case had still been pending with the court, in what capacity Imran Khan had commented on its interim order and expressed dismay over it.
The bench adjourned the hearing until June 17 asking advocate general Abdul Lateef Yousafzai to clarify the position of Imran Khan on the matter.
It also ruled that the functioning of DRCs would remain suspended until the next hearing.
The court was hearing a petition of Qaisar Khan against the establishment and functioning of DRCs in the province.
During the last hearing on May 27, the court had suspended the functioning of DRCs on the ground that apparently, the councils in question had been functioning without any legal support.
On May 29, the PTI issued a statement on behalf of Imran Khan expressing dismay over the stay order issued by the PHC against DRCs.
“Imran Khan said the local people in villages were happy with this easy access to justice through dispute resolution committees in local thanas (police stations). For PHC to give a stay order halting the functioning of these committees was undemocratic as PTI was elected on its manifesto promises which it was implementing in KP,” the PTI statement read.
It further read that the PHC stay order would once again deny the poor people the access to easy dispute resolution and justice.
When the bench took up for hearing the case on Tuesday, the advocate general requested the bench to allow him two weeks time for producing relevant documents and written explanation about the formations of the DRCs.
The chief justice drew the attention of the advocate general towards the statement of Imran Khan and observed that the court would decide the matter after considering all the legal points. He observed that the matter would not be decided on political grounds rather it was purely a legal issue.
When the bench inquired from the advocate general whether it should summon Mr Khan the advocate general stated that he may not be summoned and instead he would file explanation on his behalf. The bench directed him to explain his position on next date.
Imtiaz Ahmad, lawyer for the petitioner, said his client, a resident of Hayatabad Township, had a money dispute with another person and that he was put on notice through the police by the DRC set up at West cantonment police station.
He added that when his client did not turn up before the council, he was warned of dire consequences by one of the members and was told that he had to abide by the council’s decision.
Around 50 DRCs have been functioning across the province under a foreign-funded project. Initially, a DRC was established at the Gulbahar police station in Jan 2014.
T
here are also superior panels in DRCs, which hear the cases already decided by the regular panels but are not acceptable to one or the other party.
Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1185878/phc-seeks-imrans-clarification-on-criticism-of-drc-stay-order
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
June 01 2015
Daily Aaj - Peshawer
Daily Aaj - Peshawer
Last edited:
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
June 02 2015
KP local govt polls in three phases proposed
ISLAMABAD: After getting an order last month to delay the local government elections in Punjab and Sindh, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) again approached the Supreme Court on Friday, suggesting that the polls be held in three phases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The law and order situation in the province provides ample justification to hold the elections in phases to ensure security, an application submitted to the court by the ECP as well as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government said.
In order to hold the elections in phases, said the application, the provincial government and the ECP needed extension of the date. The last week of April would be most suitable for holding the first phase of the elections.
The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had not suggested any election date earlier.
On Jan 13, the court allowed the commission to scrap the election schedules for Sindh and Punjab and announce new dates after completing the prerequisites.
Earlier, the ECP had proposed the third-time revised dates of Feb 23 and March 13 for polls in the two provinces.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government said the authorities would be able to notify the delimitation by Feb 15. It said it was doing its best to ensure a transparent and fair completion of the delimitation process to avoid disputes and litigation.
The provincial government, ECP and the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) were thinking of utilising a biometric system in the local government elections, the application said. The system and equipment suggested by Nadra were tested in Peshawar and Islamabad on Dec 28 and Jan 11.
The application said the provincial government had requested the ECP to hold the local councils’ election in three phases.
It recalled that the local government elections in 2001 and 2005 were also held in phases in the province.
There are 26 districts and 74 tehsils in the province and the government has proposed around 3,200 village and neighbourhood councils.
The tiers of local councils proposed in the system require every voter to cast seven ballot papers for various categories of candidates – a process that will consume more time as compared to the earlier elections. The process will need a larger number of staff and booths to complete the process within the polling hours.
Thus if the elections were held in phases, not only would less number of polling staff be required but also a lesser number of biometric machines, it said, adding that it would also be in the interest of the public to hold the elections in three phases in the geographical zones of north (Malakand and Hazara), centre (Peshawar and Mardan) and south (Kohat, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan).
http://www.dawn.com/news/1085659/kp-local-govt-polls-in-three-phases-proposed
KP local govt polls in three phases proposed
ISLAMABAD: After getting an order last month to delay the local government elections in Punjab and Sindh, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) again approached the Supreme Court on Friday, suggesting that the polls be held in three phases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The law and order situation in the province provides ample justification to hold the elections in phases to ensure security, an application submitted to the court by the ECP as well as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government said.
In order to hold the elections in phases, said the application, the provincial government and the ECP needed extension of the date. The last week of April would be most suitable for holding the first phase of the elections.
The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had not suggested any election date earlier.
On Jan 13, the court allowed the commission to scrap the election schedules for Sindh and Punjab and announce new dates after completing the prerequisites.
Earlier, the ECP had proposed the third-time revised dates of Feb 23 and March 13 for polls in the two provinces.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government said the authorities would be able to notify the delimitation by Feb 15. It said it was doing its best to ensure a transparent and fair completion of the delimitation process to avoid disputes and litigation.
The provincial government, ECP and the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) were thinking of utilising a biometric system in the local government elections, the application said. The system and equipment suggested by Nadra were tested in Peshawar and Islamabad on Dec 28 and Jan 11.
The application said the provincial government had requested the ECP to hold the local councils’ election in three phases.
It recalled that the local government elections in 2001 and 2005 were also held in phases in the province.
There are 26 districts and 74 tehsils in the province and the government has proposed around 3,200 village and neighbourhood councils.
The tiers of local councils proposed in the system require every voter to cast seven ballot papers for various categories of candidates – a process that will consume more time as compared to the earlier elections. The process will need a larger number of staff and booths to complete the process within the polling hours.
Thus if the elections were held in phases, not only would less number of polling staff be required but also a lesser number of biometric machines, it said, adding that it would also be in the interest of the public to hold the elections in three phases in the geographical zones of north (Malakand and Hazara), centre (Peshawar and Mardan) and south (Kohat, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan).
http://www.dawn.com/news/1085659/kp-local-govt-polls-in-three-phases-proposed
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Daily Aaj - June 03 2015
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Khattak strikes back: Chief minister admits to irregularities in LG polls
PESHAWAR: The provincial government on Wednesday admitted irregularities and rigging in the local government elections, but placed the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the Election Commission of Pakistan.
Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, while addressing a news conference at his official residence, said the law and order situation escalated after candidates learnt about a shortage of ballot boxes and staff. He added other irregularities included the missing names of candidates and their election symbols.
Khattak said several meetings had been held with ECP during which the government had requested polls be conducted through a biometric system. He said National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) was ready, but the ECP took a step back.
“We also suggested during these meetings that the election should be conducted in phases,” he said. “However, our suggestions were completely ignored.”
Khattak said that it was the responsibility of the commission to conduct polls under articles 75, 218, 19 and 20 of the Constitution.
“The K-P government wrote a letter to the ECP on May 25, asking the army to step in to supervise elections as we could only deploy a single security man at one polling booth.”
He said 84,000 candidates were contesting and it was not possible to hold such large-scale elections without military assistance.
“Then we asked the ECP to call the army to supervise polls in a few areas, particularly in the southern districts, but again this suggestion was ignored,” the chief minister complained. “It was the duty of the ECP to make preparations and a plan.” He said the commission asked for the police which was provided by the government. “We ourselves are victims of rigging and our votes have been snatched,” Khattak added.
He admitted that scuffles emerged in his home district of Nowshera on polling day and ballot boxes were burnt. Khattak said authorities have called for reports from all union councils about skirmishes and untoward incidents. He vowed all information would be released and nothing would be hidden from the public.
Khattak reiterated PTI chief Imran Khan’s statement in which he said the K-P government was ready for re-polling and constitute a judicial commission if all parties reached a consensus on the matter.
About Mian Iftikhar Hussain’s arrest, Khattak said he did not ask the police to register an FIR against the ANP general secretary.
“I asked the police to take Mian Iftikhar to a safe place because a mob had surrounded his office and he was unsafe,” he said. The chief minister explained that Mian Iftikhar was a colleague and they both had worked together in the spectrum of politics. He reiterated there was no chance of him asking for the ANP leader’s name to be included in the FIR.
Jamaat-e-Islami leader and K-P Minister for Finance Muzaffar Said and Minister for Health Shahram Khan Tarakai were also present on the occasion.
Said contradicted his party’s provincial leader Professor Ibrahim who a day earlier claimed rigging was conducted under the patronage of the chief minister. However, Said was of the view that the government was not responsible for rigging or irregularities.
The chief minister also advised Professor Ibrahim to think before speaking.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 4[SUP]th[/SUP], 2015.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/897175/...inister-admits-to-irregularities-in-lg-polls/
PESHAWAR: The provincial government on Wednesday admitted irregularities and rigging in the local government elections, but placed the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the Election Commission of Pakistan.
Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, while addressing a news conference at his official residence, said the law and order situation escalated after candidates learnt about a shortage of ballot boxes and staff. He added other irregularities included the missing names of candidates and their election symbols.
Khattak said several meetings had been held with ECP during which the government had requested polls be conducted through a biometric system. He said National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) was ready, but the ECP took a step back.
“We also suggested during these meetings that the election should be conducted in phases,” he said. “However, our suggestions were completely ignored.”
Khattak said that it was the responsibility of the commission to conduct polls under articles 75, 218, 19 and 20 of the Constitution.
“The K-P government wrote a letter to the ECP on May 25, asking the army to step in to supervise elections as we could only deploy a single security man at one polling booth.”
He said 84,000 candidates were contesting and it was not possible to hold such large-scale elections without military assistance.
“Then we asked the ECP to call the army to supervise polls in a few areas, particularly in the southern districts, but again this suggestion was ignored,” the chief minister complained. “It was the duty of the ECP to make preparations and a plan.” He said the commission asked for the police which was provided by the government. “We ourselves are victims of rigging and our votes have been snatched,” Khattak added.
He admitted that scuffles emerged in his home district of Nowshera on polling day and ballot boxes were burnt. Khattak said authorities have called for reports from all union councils about skirmishes and untoward incidents. He vowed all information would be released and nothing would be hidden from the public.
Khattak reiterated PTI chief Imran Khan’s statement in which he said the K-P government was ready for re-polling and constitute a judicial commission if all parties reached a consensus on the matter.
About Mian Iftikhar Hussain’s arrest, Khattak said he did not ask the police to register an FIR against the ANP general secretary.
“I asked the police to take Mian Iftikhar to a safe place because a mob had surrounded his office and he was unsafe,” he said. The chief minister explained that Mian Iftikhar was a colleague and they both had worked together in the spectrum of politics. He reiterated there was no chance of him asking for the ANP leader’s name to be included in the FIR.
Jamaat-e-Islami leader and K-P Minister for Finance Muzaffar Said and Minister for Health Shahram Khan Tarakai were also present on the occasion.
Said contradicted his party’s provincial leader Professor Ibrahim who a day earlier claimed rigging was conducted under the patronage of the chief minister. However, Said was of the view that the government was not responsible for rigging or irregularities.
The chief minister also advised Professor Ibrahim to think before speaking.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 4[SUP]th[/SUP], 2015.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/897175/...inister-admits-to-irregularities-in-lg-polls/
Syed Haider Imam
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Groundswell of support: JI leader throws weight behind govt claim against ECP
PESHAWAR: Reiterating the chief minister’s stance, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Inayatullah Khan has held the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) responsible for the chaos during the local government polls.
This was stated during a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Thursday.
“The government has accused the ECP of providing untrained staff at polling stations and neglecting errors on ballot papers,” he said.
According to Khan, who is also the minister for local government, the provincial government asked ECP to hold local government polls through a biometric system.
“However, ECP refused to do so,” he said. “The government believes the problems which came to pass after the polls were an outcome of the ECP’s failure to perform its responsibilities.”
Sticking points
Khan threw his weight behind the government’s concerns, saying it was the ECP’s responsibility to conduct elections while the provincial government can only facilitate the polling process.
“After the schedule was announced, it was the ECP’s responsibility to take charge and maintain control,” he said. “If 84,000 candidates were contesting polls, ECP should have increased the number of polling stations and deputed trained staff.”
The JI leader said the data for staff members was obtained from old lists.
“Some people who were assigned duties were no longer alive,” he said. “Moreover, ECP did not take the education department on board before assigning teachers duties during the polls.”
Furthermore, Khan said ECP did not accept suggestions on how poll preparations could be improved.
He clarified that the provincial government was not involved in rigging.
Re-elections
According to a statement issued on Thursday, Minister for Public Health Engineering and Labour Shah Farman said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is ready to hold re-elections in the province.
“However, the decision to conduct re-elections should be taken by the election commission,” read the statement.
Farman said the rigging allegations were an outcome of mismanagement in the local bodies’ elections. He said all political parties should join hands on re-elections in the province. “I don’t know why political parties are not pressing for re-elections in K-P,” the statement said. “If they don’t make the demand, it would mean they have endorsed rigging.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 5[SUP]th[/SUP], 2015.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/897915/...-throws-weight-behind-govt-claim-against-ecp/
PESHAWAR: Reiterating the chief minister’s stance, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Inayatullah Khan has held the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) responsible for the chaos during the local government polls.
This was stated during a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Thursday.
“The government has accused the ECP of providing untrained staff at polling stations and neglecting errors on ballot papers,” he said.
According to Khan, who is also the minister for local government, the provincial government asked ECP to hold local government polls through a biometric system.
“However, ECP refused to do so,” he said. “The government believes the problems which came to pass after the polls were an outcome of the ECP’s failure to perform its responsibilities.”
Sticking points
Khan threw his weight behind the government’s concerns, saying it was the ECP’s responsibility to conduct elections while the provincial government can only facilitate the polling process.
“After the schedule was announced, it was the ECP’s responsibility to take charge and maintain control,” he said. “If 84,000 candidates were contesting polls, ECP should have increased the number of polling stations and deputed trained staff.”
The JI leader said the data for staff members was obtained from old lists.
“Some people who were assigned duties were no longer alive,” he said. “Moreover, ECP did not take the education department on board before assigning teachers duties during the polls.”
Furthermore, Khan said ECP did not accept suggestions on how poll preparations could be improved.
He clarified that the provincial government was not involved in rigging.
Re-elections
According to a statement issued on Thursday, Minister for Public Health Engineering and Labour Shah Farman said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is ready to hold re-elections in the province.
“However, the decision to conduct re-elections should be taken by the election commission,” read the statement.
Farman said the rigging allegations were an outcome of mismanagement in the local bodies’ elections. He said all political parties should join hands on re-elections in the province. “I don’t know why political parties are not pressing for re-elections in K-P,” the statement said. “If they don’t make the demand, it would mean they have endorsed rigging.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 5[SUP]th[/SUP], 2015.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/897915/...-throws-weight-behind-govt-claim-against-ecp/
