Quetta: Independent candidates are leading in the local body elections held in 32 districts of Balochistan on Sunday.
As of late Sunday, independent candidates had won over 1,000 seats in municipal corporations, municipal committees and union councils, followed by the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) with nearly 100 seats and the ruling Balochistan Awami Party (BAL). BAP) had won. 71 seats captured
Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party got 39 seats, National Party 33, Pakistan People’s Party 26 and Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) got 18 seats.
Voting for local government elections in 4,456 urban and rural wards across 32 districts of Balochistan ended at 5 pm after sporadic violence was reported from different parts of the province.
One person was killed and more than 30 were injured in grenade attacks, gunfire and clashes between rival groups in different areas of the province. Polling had to be postponed at some stations.
Independents are leading with over 1,000 seats, followed by JUI-F, BAP; The official says that the voting percentage was 60 percent, which is the highest since 1998.
Voting started at 8 am and went on non-stop till 5 pm and counting of votes continued till late in the night.
The Gwadar rights movement, fighting for the rights of the fishermen and other stakeholders of Makran, made a clean sweep in the coastal district of Gwadar, while the National Party made a strong showing winning 29 seats in Turbat town.
The four-party coalition – consisting of BNP-M, National Party, JUI-F and Pakistan National Party (PNP) – could not garner support in the coastal district.
Informal results suggested that the Haq do Tehreek of Gwadar captured 27 of the total 30 seats on the municipal committee. The movement also performed well in Ormara and Pasani, where voters, especially women, helped secure a majority of seats in these two municipal committees.
On the other hand, the National Party led by Dr Malik Baloch won a majority of seats in Turbat Municipal Corporation. According to unofficial results, the party won 29 out of 52 seats, while the PNP and BNP-Mengal got five and three seats, respectively. Some independent candidates also won.
The ruling BAP ticket could not be seen in local government elections in its stronghold Chagai district as Senate President Sadiq Sanjrani’s group and supporters of MNA Mir Mohammad Arif Mohammad Hasani contested as independent candidates against each other in several union councils. fought.
Supporters of the Sanjrani group chose the goat as their election symbol to contest under the Khan Sanjrani panel’s umbrella, and the hare was chosen by the Hasani group as their election symbol under the al-Fateh panel’s umbrella.
Unofficial results suggested that the Al-Fateh panel won a majority of ordinary councilor seats in at least six union councils, while the Sanjrani panel won a majority of seats in at least three union councils.
Another political coalition, the Baba-e-Chagai Panel, which was part of the JUI-F, won five of the eight seats in the municipal committee Dalbandin, in addition to winning a majority of seats in at least three union councils.
Sources said differences in the BAP at the central and local levels forced both the groups to contest local government elections under their own local political platforms.
23,835 candidates were in the fray in 6,259 wards. However, 1,584 candidates had already been elected unopposed for general seats and elections were held for the remaining 4,456 wards.
Pakistan’s Election Commission set up 5,226 polling stations to vote in 32 of the province’s 34 districts – including 576 for men, 562 for women, and a combined 4,088 polling stations.
The schedule of elections in the remaining two districts – Quetta and Lasbela – will be announced later, as delimitation is underway after the provincial government increased the number of constituencies.
Balochistan Chief Secretary Abdul Aziz Akili said the elections were held in a peaceful, free, transparent and fair manner.
Talking to the media on Sunday, he said that the voting percentage stood at 60 per cent, which is the highest since the 1988 elections.
incidents of violence
Although the day remained largely peaceful, there were some reports of violence.
Official sources confirmed at least one death in the firing incident and over 30 injured in various incidents of violence in different areas.
The deceased, identified as Muhammad Anwar, was injured in a gunfight between two rival groups in front of a polling booth in Padag area of Chagai district and later died, a senior local administration official said. , when he was shifted to a hospital. Hospital in Quetta.
Voting was postponed for some time due to the tense situation following the incident, but it was brought under control.
District Surveillance Officer Yasir Dashti told Dawn that the local administration is investigating the incident, but no arrest has been made.
Mr Anwar’s family sources alleged that he was murdered by a Lewis Force soldier who was a supporter of a rival tribe and was stationed at a nearby polling station.
Sources said Mr Anwar was the nephew of Malik Fateh Mohammad, a contestant from Ward 7 of Union Council 1 in Padag.
Meanwhile, Mir Mohammad Arif Mohammad Hasani, a member of the ruling Balochistan Awami Party’s provincial assembly, alleged that Senate Speaker Sadiq Sanjrani and his brother were behind the murder. In a statement released on Sunday, Mr Hasani said Mr Anwar was his worker and was allegedly shot dead by a Lewis Force constable.
Meanwhile, voting could not be held in three wards of Barkhan district due to clashes between rival groups. Clashes also broke out in Sibi and Jafrabad areas, where several people were injured and admitted to the district hospitals of Dera Allahyar and Usta Muhammad.
However, no major incidents of violence occurred in Khuzdar, Kalat, Mastung, Gwadar, Panjgur, Turbat, Nushki, Jhal Magasi, Dera Bugti, Lorelai, Qila Abdullah, Qila Saifullah, Pishin, Zhob, Sherani, Bolan, Dalbandin, Nasirabad. Hui. Kharan, Avaran and Vashuk.
An explosion was reported outside a women’s polling booth in Mengal Union Council of Nushki district at around 2 pm. Later, SP Abdul Saboor Shah confirmed that it was a grenade attack. However, there is no report of any loss of life or property.
In Sibi, there were isolated incidents of violence. In Ward 4 of Mal Chacha Sangh Parishad, 12 people were injured in a fight between two groups.
A polling booth in Kohlu district was blown up by unidentified persons who planted an explosive device early in the morning. The school building was also damaged in the incident.
Besides, three rockets were also fired at a polling station in Kohlu district which landed near Levies post. However, there is no report of any casualty in the attack.
At least three explosions took place in Kech district.
Abdul Wahid Shahwani from Khuzdar, Ali Jan Mangi from Dera Murad Jamali, Behram Baloch from Makran, and Ali Raza Rind from Chagai also contributed to the report
Published in Dawn, May 30, 2022