Unprecedented turnout amid rigging complaints in tribal districts

Though an extensive security cover ensured peaceful voting in the erstwhile FATA region on Wednesday, the democratic exercise was marred by serious allegations of rigging and manipulation by several candidates known for their earlier association with the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM). The day started amid fears of violence that had tarnished campaign activities in the region, however, as time passed, a decent turnout was observed at polling stations, with an unprecedented participation by women voters in the region where women have frequently been denied their right to franchise. As voting kicked off at 8am in the morning, long queues of voters were reported from many areas in South and North Waziristan, Khyber, Bajaur, Kurram, Mohmand and the Frontier Regions (FR). Women voters took part in the electoral process even in areas notorious for ban on women’s participation, including Shakai valley of South Waziristan and Bayzai of Mohmand tribal district. In an apparent attempt to ensure tight security, authorities sealed several points along the porous Pak-Afghan border, except the Torkham crossing point. Meanwhile, many candidates and their polling agents complained that hurdles were created in the way of voters not carrying slips [with their vote information] issued by Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) camps. Mohsin Dawar, an independent considered to be in a strong position in NA-48 North Waziristan, alleged that the administration in connivance with security officials was involved in rigging in favour of his rival candidate, Malik Aurangzeb of PTI. “They’re doing whatever they can, including disappearance of voters’ lists. They even changed the venue of some polling stations overnight, moving them to remote areas to make it difficult for voters to cast ballots,” he said in a video message. Dawar noted that the ECP staff was absent from the polling station at his native village in Danday Darpakhel locality, and only 32 votes could be polled in the first five hours. He said a number of polling stations faced acute shortage of staff since there were only two personnel instead of the mandatory count of six at many stations. Quoting Dawar, journalist Ismail Mehsud said that members of the government-backed peace committee allowed polling agents only from the PTI inside a polling station in Razmak, a valley in North Waziristan. In a video posted on social media, a man claiming to Dawar’s polling agent at Governor Model School in Miran Shah of Dawar alleged that agents from the rival camp employed all tactics to rig the outcome. “When I complained to security officials about the widespread irregularities in the voting, they expelled me from the polling station, saying that I’m not allowed inside,” he said. Gulzar Hussain, who claimed to be a voter in North Waziristan, posted a video, saying, “worst rigging is underway in favour of Dawar’s rival candidate.” He said many women had to travel for over two kilometres to cast their votes. In the adjacent South Waziristan region (NA-50), there were complaints of hurdles put up in the way of voters of Ali Wazir, another independent who was in the core committee of the PTM. Bin Yamin Wazir, a student, said voters of Ali Wazir, experienced ‘unprecedented hurdles’ in casting their vote. “Our votes in Dabkot area in Wana were shifted to Shakai – a village 33 kilometres away – but voters still travelled the distance and exercised their democratic right in favour of Wazir,” he noted. Ali Wazir himself complained that the voting process moved at a snail’s pace. He said the number of polling booths at several polling stations had been reduced from four to two, which created problems for voters. According to a complain letter addressed to Returning Officer (RO) by Aurangzeb Khan, a candidate NA-47 VIII Orakzai tribal region, rigging took place allegedly in several polling stations in JalakaMela and Ferozkhel areas by the persons from his rival candidate’s camp. A total of 645 complaints were received by the ECP Monitoring Control Room by the time this report was filed, 57 of these were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. Published in Daily Times, July 26th 2018.