PML-N leads ICT LB polls with 19 seats, PTI gets 18

ISLAMABAD: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Monday was leading against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in the first ever local bodies elections in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) to elect 650 members of the 50 union councils.
The electoral arena comprises two constituencies of the National Assembly: NA-48 won by PTI’s Asad Umar and NA-49 that went to Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry of the PML-N.
According to unofficial results, the PML-N won 19 seats while the PTI got 18 and independents pocketed 10 seats of the union councils.
The results of three union councils were withheld due to various reasons. The union councils, from where PML-N candidates won, included UC-5, UC-18, UC-24, UC-45, UC-48, UC-49 and those won by the PTI include UC-29, UC-36 and UC-36.
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and other parties failed to make anymark during the electoral bout. The PTI lost the election in its chairman Imran Khan’s union council Mora Noor, while minister Dr Tariq Fazal’s nephew lost the battle with the PTI.Similarly, ex-MNA Anjum Aqeel’s brother-in-law also could not return from Golra UC and the seat went to Shoaib Khan of PTI.
Against 650 seats of 50 union councils of the ICT, about 2,400 candidates were in the electoral arena. Of these, 972 were independents. Over 684,000 voters were given the choice of electing their representatives for the first ever local bodies system in the capital city.
The Election Commission declined to extend the polling time and hence polling, which began at 7:00am sharp at a majority of polling stations, continued till all those present inside the premises managed to exercise their right to vote. The official time for polling to stop was 5:30pm.
At least nine candidates, belonging to the minorities, returned unopposed from union councils no. 6,11,17,19, 23, 34, 3, 45 and 48. There were no candidates on the reserved seats for minorities in 13 union councils.
Although the weather was not so friendly, people in large numbers came out to cast their votes, including young, old and even many on wheelchairs and on crutches.
Barring a very few incidents of irregularities, the electoral exercise was conducted smoothly. In one incident at a polling station of Union Council 37, set up at Islamabad Model School for Girls at G-10/1, one Abdullah Moeez Shah was astonished to learn that his vote had already been polled.
Shah, who returned from the United States, could not believe his ears and eyes when he was told by the presiding officer that his vote had been polled and the impression of his thumb was shown to him. He kept asking the polling staff that if it was not him who had cast his vote, how was it done and by whom.
He along with some others, present on the occasion, agitated on this, forcing the presiding officer to arrange a re-poll for him but his vote was kept separately in an envelope. His bloc code is 507 and the vote no. is 343. This obviously was done to pacify the agitators.
It was interesting to note that Imaan Hazir, the daughter of Imran Khan’s spokesperson, Dr Shireen Mazari, voted for the PML-N and a minority candidate and defended her decision. Instead of voting for the bat (the election symbol of the PTI) she cast her vote for the PML-N’s lion.
Shireen Mazari also tweeted that her daughter was free to make her decision herself and it was a sign of being democratic. Imaan had earlier greeted PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq after he defeated PTI’s Aleem Khan recently in a by-election.
Meanwhile, in a statement, the Chief Election Commissioner, Justice (retd) Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan was happy over the peaceful electoral exercise and praised the army, Rangers and police for their role in the maintenance of peace and order during the polling process. He also spoke highly of the local administration for its cooperation on this count.
The Election Commission Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad visited some polling stations and expressed satisfaction over the arrangements and appreciated the voters who had queued up since early morning.