ISLAMABAD, May 16: The overall voter turnout in the recent elections was impressive, but not in most of the constituencies in Balochistan.

In PB-41 (Awaran), the turnout was 1.18 per cent and Abdul Judoos Bizenjo of the Pakistan Muslim League was declared winner with only 544 votes. Mir Hidayatullah of the National Party, who bagged 95 votes, was the runner-up.

Of the 57,666 registered votes in the constituency, only 672 were cast.

What is surprising was that despite this dismal situation the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced the unofficial results, instead of deciding to ordering a repolling.

The turnout was similar in many other mainly Baloch constituencies.

In PB-50 (Kech), Akbar Ashkani of the PML-N won the seat with 1,385 votes against his nearest rival Mohammad Akram of NP who secured 1,331. The other seven candidates collectively polled 994 votes. The number of registered voters in the constituency is 59,097, but only 3,712 of them exercised their right of franchise.

In PB-42 (Panjgur), Rahmat Ali of NP won by getting 2,073 votes against 1,079 of his closest rival Asadullah of the Balochistan National Party. Of the 42,102 registered voters, only 4,892 chose to vote.

Turnout in PB-46 (Kharan) was relatively high. Of the 45,176 registered voters, 14,611 cast their votes. Abdul Karim Nosherwani of the PML-N, who secured only 3,418 votes, won the seat and Sanaullah Baloch of the BNP-M was the runner-up with 2,710 votes.

In PB-19 (Zhob), Jaffar Khan Mandokhel of the PML won the seat by securing 5,219 votes. Among 22 candidates in the run, only three — Sheikh Ayaz Mandokhel of the JUI-F, Mitha Khan of the PML-N and Abdul Qayyum of the Pakhtunkhawa Milli Awami Party — managed to bag more than 3,000 votes.

In PB-1 (Quetta), with 49,042 registered voters, Tahir Mehmood Khan of the PML-N won after polling 6,084 votes.

There are 66,979 registered voters in PB-4 (Quetta) and the winner was Raza Mohammad Barrech of the PkMAP with 5,352 votes.

In PB-49 (Kech), Mohammad Azeem of the National Party polled 3,472 out of 40,503 registered votes.

In PB-22 (Harnai-Sibi), the winner, Abdul Raheem Ziaratwal of the PkMAP, got 4,101 of 35,297 registered votes. Mohammad Islam of NP was elected in PB-43 (Panjgur) with 4,369 votes. There are 32,764 registered voters in the constituency.

Mir Mujeebul Rehman Hassani (Independent) won by securing 4,811 out of 38,171 registered votes in PB-47 (Washuk).

In PB-48 Kech, where registered voters are 74,374, Abdul Malik of NP won after securing 4,539 votes.

Mufti Ghulab Khan of the JUI-F was declared the winner with 5,755 votes in PB-18 (Sherani-Zhob) where registered voters are 68,599.

Mir Zafaraullah Khan Zehri, who obtained 5,229 votes in PB-37 (Kallat), won the election. There are 36,917 registered voters in the constituency.

In PB-40 (Nushki), where 61,882 voters are registered, Mir Ghulam Dastgir Badini (Independent) became the winner with 5,046 votes.

Only 22 candidates could obtain more than 10,000 votes in Balochistan.

Independent candidate Jam Kamal Khan secured the highest number of votes (35,180) in the province from PB-44 where 82,824 voters are registered.

Karachi issue

Meanwhile, ECP Secretary Ishtiak Ahmad Khan said there was an issue of rigging in Karachi. Talking to newsmen here on Thursday, he said the commission would decide on Friday whether to hold repolling in the entire NA-250 constituency.

He said PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s application seeking repolling in various constituencies was under consideration.

He said the system for verification of thumb impressions had been put in place for the purpose and no-one would be able to circumvent the system. Nadra had the capacity to handle the matching of thousands of thumb impressions and it had been asked to enhance its capacity, he said.

He described as baseless the claim of Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) that voter turnout in several constituencies was more than 100 per cent and said that such statements had been made at a time when the international community was praising the holding of transparent elections in Pakistan.

“We are ready for positive criticism, but those trying to negate facts should decide if it was good for Pakistan, democracy and the system.”

He said the entire record had been summoned and the matter would be thoroughly investigated.

“If the presiding officers had done something wrong they will be accountable for it, and if Fafen has done something wrong it would be responsible.”

Giving data of some of the constituencies mentioned in the Fafen report, he said in a polling station of PS-155 the turnout was 42 per cent and not 157 per cent as claimed by Fafen.In PS-19, the turnout was 31 per cent, and not 105 per cent. He said the Fafen report had cited the turnout in PS-210, PS-8, PS-173 and PS-80 as 132 per cent, 172 per cent, 107 per cent and 186 per cent while it was in fact 50 per cent, 74 per cent, 34 per cent and 73 per cent, respectively.

In PS-6, PS-109, PS-4, PS-7 and PS-14 the turnout was 47, 41, 65, 63 and 54 per cent and not 116, 161, 109, 127 and 320 per cent, respectively, as claimed by Fafen.

Mr Khan said the ECP had received 110 complaints of alleged rigging over the past three days and orders for recount had been issued in nine cases.