KARACHI/RAWALPINDI/MULTAN: Polling has ended for the third and final phase of local government (LG) elections in Karachi and Punjab. The polling process in the metropolis was marred by isolated incidents of violence and mismanagement.

Earlier, polling for the third and final phase of local government elections in 12 districts of Punjab and six of Karachi began at 7.30am on Saturday amid tight security.

The Election Commission had rejected the request of several political parties to extend the polling time beyond 5.30pm.

Almost all the polling stations in the six districts of Karachi were declared ‘sensitive’ for security reasons, with only 234 of the 4,141 stations categorised as normal.

In the 12 districts of Punjab, 9,970 of the 14,012 polling stations were declared ‘normal’.

An official said 964 polling stations in the province were highly sensitive and 3,078 sensitive in the districts of Layyah, Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Rawalpindi, Jhang, Khushab, Multan, Sialkot, Narowal, Rahimyar Khan and Bahawalpur.

Rangers put assistant presiding officer behind bars

Sindh Rangers arrested an assistant presiding officer on charges of bogus voting and sent him to prison while exercising magisterial powers given to them by the Election Commission.

The Rangers spokesperson said that the paramilitary force arrested Mohammed Zubair, an assistant presiding officer of UC-5 in Wilayatabad, Pak Colony, which was located in Alibhai Ibrahim School.

“Zubair was arrested red-handed.” He was detained on charges of helping others to cast bogus votes and was supervising this irregularity, the spokesperson added.

The official said that Rangers while exercising their magisterial power sent the accused to Central Prison for 14 days.

The Election Commission has established a control room in Islamabad which will work till the finalisation of election results.

MQM, PTI point out irregularities in Karachi

In a press conference Saturday afternoon, senior MQM leader Farooq Sattar said more than 50 polling volunteers from MQM have been attacked at 25 polling stations in Karachi.

In Landhi, he said, fake ballots are being cast, and despite repeated complaints, no institution responded or showed up for assistance.

"Around 25 polling stations have been taken over by unauthorised personnel," he said.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's (PTI) Ali Zaidi, while present inside a polling station to cast his vote, told media personnel that not a single official was present inside.

He said political party agents from the PPP and the PTI were officiating the polling process, which was a blatant violation of rules.

Karachi: Rangers, police arrest fake polling staff

Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) claimed to have arrested three persons for posing as polling staff at Parsi school in Nishtar Park area, said a press release.

A fake presiding officer card was recovered from a man named Ashraf Abbas and a fake assistant presiding officer card from Muhammad Hassan, said the statement.

Another man arrested for posing as polling staff was Shah Zaman, an MQM worker of unit 51, PIB sector, said the paramilitary force.

Rangers using magisterial powers handed down three months in prison to the said persons, the handout added.

SSP-East, in a statement, said three fake polling officers at UC-27, who said they were appointed by the returning officer, were arrested.

Of the three men, Sajid Ali, is also an independent candidate, and had no official authority to preside as a polling officer at Kids Junior University Gulshan-e-Johar, where he was present, said police.

The other two men are Syed Muhammad Bakar and Muhammad Mehdi. A case is being registered against all three.

Clashes mar polling

Tensions ran high at various polling stations as supporters of political parties scuffled in several areas of the city including Landhi, Orangi and Soldier Bazaar.

At least 12 people were injured when a clash broke out between two rival groups in Landhi. Rangers personnel are patrolling the area in order to control the situation.

Several people were reportedly injured in a clash that broke out Chanesar Goth area.

Polling was halted at a polling station in Karachi's Gulistan-i-Jauhar area after a clash broke out between workers of two political parties.

Delays

Polling has not yet started in UC 31 of Malir's Ahsanabad area until after mid-day, DawnNews reported.

In the first hour, voting could not be started on time in almost 70 per cent of polling stations in Karachi.

Tight security

The battle for the Sindh capital will be the most keenly watched across the country.

According to an official of the Election Commission, 1,791 polling stations in Karachi are being treated as highly sensitive, and 2,116 as sensitive, for the sake of maintaining law and order.

Amid extraordinary security, more than seven million people cast their votes to elect 5,401 candidates vying for 1,472 seats across the metropolis amid charged atmosphere during the final phase of LG elections in Sindh.

Editorial: Battleground Karachi

The districts in Sindh are Karachi West, Karachi East, Karachi South, Karachi Central, Korangi and Malir. The highest number of sensitive polling stations is in Karachi West where only 43 of the 937 have been declared ‘normal’, and among the rest 497 are ‘highly sensitive’ and 396 sensitive. There are 247 union committees and councils in the city with 7,083,066 voters — 4.06 million men and 3.01m women.

The ECP has given special powers to Sindh Rangers and army which will form the second and third tiers of security in sensitive polling areas.

Officers in charge of army and Rangers performing security duties were vested on Friday with the powers of first class magistrate. The paramilitary Rangers will have the authority to enter polling stations and take preventive action, including arrest and detention, whenever required.

The Sindh government has deployed 35,057 policemen to provide security to 4,037 polling stations, 93 per cent of which have been declared sensitive, reported Dawn newspaper.

Some 7,400 Rangers personnel and 10 companies of the army — each comprising 80 soldiers — would be there patrolling the areas to ensure that the city is secure during the mammoth electoral exercise.

Officials in the provincial election commission said originally there were 1,520 constituencies up for grabs in Karachi. Of them, candidates on 48 seats returned unopposed, they added.

Some 7.08 million voters will elect chairmen and vice chairmen for 209 union committees and 38 union councils, which offer seats for 988 general members, 38 district council members and 494 women members for both union committees and union councils.

The party that grabs more than 105 union committees will be able to clinch the mayor slot. The Muttahida Quami Movement has fielded its candidates in 174 UCs only. The Jamaat-i-Islami and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf alliance fielded candidates in 203 out of the total 209 UCs, while the Pakistan Peoples Party fielded its candidates only in 188 UCs.

There are 12 major political parties and groups — Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Sunni Tehreek, Jamiat-i-Ulema Islam-Fazl, Jamat-i-Islami, Jamiat-i-Ulema Pakistan-Noorani, Awami National Party, PML-Functional, Mohajir Qaumi Movement, and Qaumi Awami Tehreek — besides a large number of independent candidates contesting the LG elections. The key contenders in this contest are considered to be the MQM, PTI, JI and the PPP.

South and central Punjab: supporters of parties scuffle

At least six people were injured when a clash broke out between two rival groups in Multan's UC 58. Rangers was called to control the situation in the area.

At least 12 people were injured due to firing following a voting dispute between supporters of the PTI and PML-N in UC 94 of Narowal's Shakargarh tehsil.

Polling is being held in seven districts of south Punjab and four districts of central Punjab for the third and final phase of LG elections today. Reports of delays in polling emerged from Multan and Jhang.

Polls in 16 union councils of Rawalpindi have been delayed on court orders.

Like the earlier two phases, people will elect representatives for district council, union council, municipal corporation and municipal committees in Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh, Rahim Yar Khan, Layyah, Jhang, Khushab, Sialkot, Rawalpindi and Narowal.

Of these districts, Rawalpindi, Multan, Bahawalpur, Sialkot and Dera Ghazi Khan have municipal corporations besides district councils and municipal committees.

In the first two phases, candidates of the ruling PML-N and independents had dominated the polls, followed by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI). The trend is likely to be repeated, except for Multan, Rahim Yar Khan and Dera Ghazi Khan, where PTI’s (PTI)’s) Shah Mahmood Qureshi, PPP’s Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood and Zulfiqar Khosa have fielded a good number of candidates, reported Dawn newspaper.

The bride and the elderly vote

At a number of polling stations, both the young and old are coming out with enthusiasm. In Muzaffargarh, a 102-year-old man showed up to vote.

Women, particularly, have been present in large numbers. Multan and Rawalpindi have seen lines of women voters since morning. Old women carrying canes also made their way to the voting station.

A young bride came to vote on her wedding. “So what if it’s my wedding day? I have to cast my vote,” she said.

Click here to know details of LG elections in each district of Punjab where polling is being held on Saturday.