PK-93 by-poll: Polling concludes in Upper Dir

UPPER DIR: Polling has concluded for by-election on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly's PK-93 constituency in Upper Dir where a tough contest is likely between the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

The seat had fallen vacant after JI’s Malik Behram Khan was disqualified for having a fake degree.

All the polling stations had been declared ‘sensitive’ in terms of security situation. Malik Azam Khan and Sahibzada Sanaullah were representing the JI and the PPP respectively.

Television footage showed burqa-clad women turning up at polling stations to vote — a sight so rare in the conservative region that locals claimed women in the constituency were using their right to vote for the first time in 37 years.

As many as 120 polling stations had been setup of which 14 have been allocated for female voters in Upper Dir.

The by-election in Upper Dir coincides with the International Day of Democracy which is observed across the world on Sept 15.