Pakistan - Chaos, mismanagement and violence marred local government polls in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

Nine killed during election-related violence

Chaos, mismanagement and violence marred local government polls in K-P which saw at least nine people killed and more than 32 injured in election-related violence across the province, reports our correspondent Iftikhar Firdous.

Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) district council candidate in Ameerabad, Tangi, Afzal Khan, was killed. ANP’s Youth Council candidate Alam Zeb Khan was also injured in a firing incident, reported our correspondent Mureeb Mohmand.

In addition to the QWP candidate’s murder, at least six people were killed in Charsadda. According to police, a man was gunned down in a brawl in Sherpao area while two others were injured.

In Tarnab area of Charsadda, two brothers belonging to the QWP were gunned down. Two more people were killed in Mandani area of the district in separate gun related incidents.

Police arrested the Charsadda general secretary for Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) Mufti Gauhar Ali for allegedly causing disruption in the voting process.

Police also booked at least 58 people in Mardan, Charsadda and Swabi, registering cases against them.

Kohat witnessed a man being killed, as election-related violence spread.

In Dera Ismael Khan, two people were killed and two others were injured in Ganju area.

Moreover, in Mirza Dher, police had to intervene as armed assailants tried to abduct a woman presiding officer. While the assailants escaped, police lodged a case on the complaint of the presiding officer.

In Rashakai near Mardan, workers of QWP and PTI quarreled with each other and damaged ballot boxes.

In Peshawar, at least 47 people were arrested from 16 different places of the metropolis. According to Rescue 1122, around 32 people had been injured in various incidents of election-related violence in the district.

In MC-2 Shabqadar, a police constable was found using illegals means of favouring a political party.

Also, ANP district workers restrained the female polling staff from working, for what they claimed, was rigging by them aimed at increasing the PTI vote count.

In Battagram, political workers brawled with rivals for most of the day. In Union Council MC-3, Gonda, a worker of Jamaat-e-Islami allegedly assaulted PTI MPA Arif Ahmad Zai over rigging in a polling station designated for women.

In Attaki, PTI workers were accused of breaking the ballot boxes.
In MC-1, there were reports of some people ‘selling’ their votes to different political parties.

Read more @ http://tribune.com.pk/story/894712/local-body-election-way-k-p/