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Today's Paper | November 18, 2024

Published 08 Feb, 2024 01:09pm

Inefficiencies and accessibility challenges mar voter experience in Karachi’s NA-238

In Karachi’s NA-238 constituency, a high voter turnout was observed outside the polling station, but operational inefficiencies led to long queues, according to KAS-Dawn.com fellow Hawwa Fazal.

Notably, there were inadequate provisions for the elderly and disabled individuals, compounding the challenges faced by voters. Naseer Khan, a voter visiting the DMSS Boys School polling station, recounted an incident where a woman — who had undergone a recent knee surgery — was unable to cast her vote due to the booths being located upstairs.

Khan expressed dismay over the situation, saying the presiding officer collected the necessary details for voter registration but failed to return promptly.

Khan said that with the help of some police officers, they carried the woman in her wheelchair to the upper floor. Upon reaching the voting booths, the presiding officer acknowledged the inconvenience and apologised.

When questioned about the delay, the presiding officer said that the station was allotted at 2am. He said that to facilitate the voters who could not climb the stairs, he personally went with a team member to help them cast their vote.

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