PML-N letter to ECP alleges use of modified ballot boxes

LAHORE:Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Punjab alleged the use of modified ballot boxes at polling stations for PP-168 by-elections on Thursday.

In a letter to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) secretary, Malik Nadeem Kamran, senior vice president PML-N Punjab, alleged that the party’s election cell received several complaints from different polling stations across PP-168 where modified ballot boxes were used. He alleged that the opening of ballot boxes was wider than normal providing (ample) space to put one’s hand in the ballot box. The letter stated that, specifically, complaints were received from polling stations number 60, 69 and 70.

It is pertinent to mention here that ECP had established 83 polling stations for total 126,862 (including 73,701 male and 53,161 female) registered voters in the constituency. Meanwhile, a number of voters in PP-168 talking to The News said they received calls from unknown persons on polling day and before who asked them as to whom they (the voters) would vote.

“Why should I disclose to someone unknown as to whom I am going to vote?” questioned a voter Majeed. He said the ECP should take notice of the issue as to who leaked voters’ data to irrelevant people. He also shared the numbers from where the calls were made.

In reply to a call on one such number a person said he represented a private company, based in Islamabad, which was engaged by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for analysis of PP-168 bye-polls.

Another voter, Fauzia, said how ECP could share contact numbers of the voters with unknown people. “Where is voters’ privacy?” she questioned. She said even if any party had engaged some company to hold a poll-day or pre-poll survey, they should be in the field instead of making telephonic calls to people especially women.

Abid, another voter, said vote had its own sanctity and a voter was not supposed to show his or her ballot to anyone at the time of voting. “How authentic could be the information provided by a voter about the vote on phone to someone completely stranger?” he questioned.

It is also worth mentioning here that PP-168 seat was vacated by Khawaja Saad Rafique of PML-N after being elected to the National Assembly. Prominent among the candidates in the run in bye-polls were PML-N’s Rana Mahmood Khalid Qadri and PTI’s Malik Asad Ali Khokhar. The News could not reach ECP Punjab officials including its spokesperson despite repeated attempts.