3rd Phase Local Government elections
Ruling alliance steals the show
By Uzma Zafar

ISLAMABAD—In the third phase of local body elections, votes were cast today in country’s 109 districts for election of candidates for district, town and tehsil Nazims slots.
The voting began as per schedule amid stringent security measures and was wrapped up at 4 p.m. without any interval. No unauthorized person was allowed to enter the polling stations.
According to reports, the polling began on tie in majority of the districts that continued peacefully throughout the day. No mess was reported from anywhere in the country. However, police arrested seven people including four councilors on charges of vote trading and twelve women alleged of casting bogus votes in Banu district.
While talking to newsmen, district police officer Banu, Abid Ali, told that returning officer identified such twelve women in a polling station set up at the Government Graduage Degree College who tried to cast their votes bearing fake national identity cards and polling cards.
According to unofficial results, Abdul Jameel Ghchki (PML-Q) from district Lasbela of Baluchistan has been elected as nazim of tehsil Hub, while Syed Zulfiar Ali Shah (PML-Q) from Tando Mohammad Khan has been elected as taluka nazim of Bulri Shah Karim.
Eight Nazims have already been elected upopposed in the third phase of LB of whom two are from Punjab province, three each from Sindh and Balochistan.
Our Lahore Bureau adds: Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan, Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar warned against any violation of election code of conduct and said no one is above the law. He stated this while visiting various polling stations during the third phase of the local government elections here on Thursday.
The CEC visited the polling stations set up in Ayesha Degree College, Timber Market, Central Model School, Science College Wahdat Road and Gaddafi Stadium here. Provincial Chief Election Commissioner, Rahim Nawaz Khan Durrani, District Coordination Officer Khalid Sultan, police high ups and a team of mediamen also accompanied the Chief Election Commissioner during his visit to the polling stations.
The Chief Election Commissioner directed all authorities concerned to ensure strict observance of the election code of conduct in their respective areas for holding fair, free and impartial elections and take action against those attempting to disrupt peaceful atmosphere of the election. Dogar asked for fully ensuring congenial atmosphere at the polling stations by maintaining better law and order. Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar also expressed his satisfaction over the arrangements made for holding of the third phase of the local governments elections. All District Returning Officers have been directed to ensure smooth polling and directed all DPOs to have close liaison with District Returning Officers and Returning Officers. The Punjab IGP Zia Ul Hassan Khan on the directive of Chief Election Commissioner has ordered all DIGs and DPOs to ensure safe transportation of voters to polling stations without any hinderance. Punjab Police has deployed special force at all polling stations and intensified round the clock patrolling.
Agencies add: Election process for the third phase of LG polls was held in peaceful and transparent ways through out the country, Acting Chief Election Commissioner Justice Abdul Hamid Dogar said this in Sachal Sar Mast while speaking to journalists on Thursday during a visit of various polling stations. He said, “no complaint from anywhere was received regarding final phase of LG polls”.
Justice Abdul Hamid Dogar also expressed satisfaction that all three phases of LG polls have been completed peacefully adding that the results of the previous two phases were accepted by all parties, therefore, all the groups are, now, participating in the election of district Nazims. “When peaceful elections are being held in Karachi, then rigging issue becomes question less in other cities”, he added.
Acting Chief Election Commissioner further said public and candidates’ interest in Local government system has illustrated that people are pleased with LG system in country. Responding to a question regarding the delay in compilation of results, Abdul Hamid Dogar said that delay in the compilation of final results is not unusual matter because managing the results, coming from round the country, is time consuming.
He also congratulated the nation for holding of peaceful LG polls. According to unofficial results of the third and last round of the Local Body elections (LB), Haq Parast Grup-backed candidates have come off bagged slots of city nazim in majority of the towns of Karachi and Hyderabad cities.
In Karachi Nominated candidate of Haq Parast, Mustafa Kamal has bagged slot of the Karachi city Nazim against the candidate Naimatullah Khan of Tameer Karachi Itehad. In Hyderabad nominated candidate of Haq Parast Gropup Qamar Naveed has been elected as nazim.
Our Peshawar Bureau adds: Polling for the third phase of Local Government elections continued enthusiastically in the Provincial metropolis despite fasting and candidates along with their supporters were seen busy in convincing voters in their favor. All the four polling stations set up separately in four towns of Peshawar were full beyond capacity of people mostly gathered for support of their candidates.
Proper security arrangements had been made by the provincial government at polling stations to avert any untoward happening. Officials of Frontier Constabulary (FC) were also deployed for smooth holding of polls. Vehicles adorned with stickers and banners of different candidates were seen plying in the city, rushing the voters to polling stations to cast vote on time.
Female candidates and supporters were also very fervent and fully participated in the polling. A female polling officer at Town III polling station in Agriculture Institute Jamrud Road informed that about 50 votes have been polled in polling both reserved for minority and peasant workers till 11:30 a.m out of the total of 263.
She was expecting more voters after 12:00 because people usually wake up late during fasting. Similarly, more than 100 votes, both male and female, were polled for District and Town Nazim slots in Town III polling station till 12:00 p.m.
Polling station for Town One was set up at the Government High School No.1 in city, Town II polling station at Rehabilitation centre on Pajagi road and Town IV at the Government High School Badaber. Jam-packed polling stations were witnessed in most parts of the city, as polling began at 08:00 Oclock this morning throughout the province for the slots of District, Town, Tehsil Nazims and District and Tehsil councils in the final phase of Local Government Polls.
Voters and other supporting parties thronged to the polling stations that have been setup in four towns of the Provincial metropolis. Polling station for town one have been set up at the Government High School G.T road, in town two at the Rehabilitation Centre for the Disabled Children situated on Pajagi road, whereas in town three the polling station has been established at Agricultural Institute on Jamrud road, while in town four it is set up at the Government High School at Bedhber.
Candidates have been making arrangements for the female and other supporting members to help them reach the polling stations on time enabling them cast their votes. Special pick and drop facilities were provided to the voters so that they do not face difficulty and were assembled on the allotted polling stations even before the polling had begun.
Separate polling stations have been set up for both male and female. Polling began in peaceful atmosphere. Our Lahore Bureau adds: Polling process remained peaceful in the first half of the day in every district and town polling station in the third and final phase of local bodies elections amid a few reports of untoward incidents and election rigging allegations by the opposition backed candidates.
Polling started at 8.15 a.m and the process remained relatively slow in the first half of the day. However heavy turn out was witnessed after 2 p.m. Total number of eligible voters in all the 9 town comes to 1950. As per break up, 247 voters belong to Ravi town, Saman Abad town, Iqbal town each, 234 voters to Data Ganj Bakhsh town and Nishtar town each , 221 voters from Shalimar town, 195 from Gulberg town, 195 from Aziz Bhatti town. A majority of voters exercised their right to franchise. Combined opposition candidate for the slot of district Nazim, Rana Mushood Ahmad Khan and Town nazims candidate from opposition alleged that ruling party candidates remained involved in polls rigging.
In Ravi town, opposition candidate for town Nazim Abdul Rauf charged the ruling party sponsored candidate Yusuf Ahad Malik with violating code of conduct, entering inside the polling station, checking the ballot paper of councilors and Nazmeens and issuing directives for making payment to election staffers on mobile phones. Taking notice of this complaint, returning officer directed Yusuf Ahad to put the phone out side the polling station. The police deployed on the polling stations were directed not to allow any one to bring mobile phones in polling stations.