PESHAWAR: Provincial Election Commission handed over election material to presiding officers in all districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa amid tight security on Wednesday.

The election material, which was dispatched on Wednesday morning, included ballot papers, ballot boxes and stationery, according to a statement.

In Peshawar, the election material was distributed at three points including Qayyum Stadium, Eidgah Road and Government Technical College Kohat Road.

The presiding officers received the election material at the designated points and moved towards their polling stations. ECP has printed 45.440 million ballot papers for election in provincial and National Assembly constituencies.

Material sent to remote Torghar areas through boats via Indus River

According to the statement, 21.928 million voters would exercise their right of franchise today. Of the total registered voters, 11.944 million are men and 8.373 million are women in the province.

In Mansehra, ECP dispatched polling staff and material to 123 polling stations in the sole provincial assembly constituency in Torghar.

“We have made foolproof security arraignments for election and dispatched staff and material to respective polling stations across the district,” Ziaur Rehman Marwat, the deputy commissioner of Torghar, told journalists.

He said that 25 polling stations were established across the district. “Polling staff and material are also dispatched through boats via the Indus River to remote areas where road infrastructure doesn’t exist,” he said.

Polling staff and material were also sent to their destinations in Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan and Kolai-Palas.

In Lakki and Bannu, Commissioner Parweiz Sabatkhel and RPO Qasim Ali Khan visited the offices of returning officers to check distribution of election material and deployment of polling staff.

In Lower Dir, Deputy Commissioner Wasil Khan along with DPO Ziaud Din visited a technical college in Khaima and supervised handing over of election material to polling staff. They directed the election staff to perform duty with impartiality to make the process acceptable for all contenders.

In Bajaur, polling material and staff were dispatched to their respective polling stations in hundreds of specially arranged vehicles with strict security arrangements.

The polling material was handed over to presiding officers by the respective returning officers in Civil Colony, Khar, after administering oath to them.

In Dera Ismail Khan and Tank, the process of handing over polling material to polling staff concluded peacefully.

The presiding officers visited degree college for boys in Tank to collect polling material for their respective polling stations.

In Charsadda, election material was handed over to presiding officers of 746 polling stations at the local sports complex amid strict security arrangements.

Deputy Commissioner Adnan Farid Afridi and DPO Nazir Mohammad were present on the occasion to supervise the process and monitor arrangements. The distribution of election material continued from morning till evening.

Various women polling staffers said that they faced difficulties in receiving election material. They added that first they had to stand in queues for the ballot papers and boxes of the provincial assembly seats and then for the ballot papers of National Assembly constituencies.

In Chitral, 313,361 voters will cast their votes to elect one member of National Assembly and two members of provincial assembly.

ECP has set up 312 polling stations in the district. Of 172 polling stations in Lower Chitral, 68 have been declared sensitive and 18 most sensitive. In Upper Chitral, of 140 polling stations, the number of sensitive and most sensitive polling stations is 25 and four, respectively.

Polling material was dispatched to all the polling stations from the headquarters of both the districts. The election material was handed over to presiding officer by the respective district returning officers in Chitral city and Booni.

Irfanuddin, the deputy commissioner of Upper Chitral, told Dawn that roads to all the distant and mountainous valleys were reopened for vehicular traffic. The raods had been closed after the recent snowfall.

He said that the valleys of Broghil, Upper Yakrhoon, Sor Laspur, Terich, Rech, Khot, Melp and Upper Oveer recently received snow that caused closure of roads for a short span. “After reopening of roads, polling staff as well voters will face no hardship,” he added.

A large number of Chitralis, mostly students of Islamic seminaries in all the major cities of the country including Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Islamabad, are reaching Chitral to poll their votes.

Caravan of passenger coaches and coasters are seen entering the city bearing the flags of Jamiat Ulama-i-Islam-Fazl as candidate of the party for NA-1, Senator Talha Mahmood, has arranged free transportation for them.

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2024