Lahore
\nCounting of votes is underway for 21 national and provincial seats after polling concluded amid the temporary suspension of cellular services in specific districts of Punjab and Balochistan to \u201csafeguard\u201d the electoral process.
\nAccording to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), by-elections were held today on five vacant seats of the National Assembly; 12 of the Punjab Assembly, and two each of the Khyber Pakh\u00adtunkhwa and Balochistan legislatures.
\nSeparately, re-polling in all constituencies of Balochistan\u2019s PB-50 (Qila Abdullah) was also held today.
\nPolling began at 8am and concluded at 5pm, following which the vote counting began, with unconfirmed and unofficial results awaited.
\nThe Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had announced a day earlier that \u201ccellular services will be temporarily suspended in specific districts of Punjab and Balochistan during the by-elections\u201d on April 21 (today) and 22 (Monday).
\nIt said the decision had been taken on the directives of the interior ministry to \u201csafeguard the integrity and security of the electoral process\u201d.
\nIt should be mentioned that mobile and internet services were also shut down during the February 8 general elections. Meanwhile, access to social media platform X has been disrupted since Feb 17 \u2014 when the former Rawal\u00adpindi commissioner accused the chief election commissioner and chief justice of Pakistan of being involved in rigging.
\nIqbal condemns \u2018murder\u2019 of party worker in Narowal
\nMinister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal condemned the \u201cmurder\u201d\u201c of a PML-N worker in Narowal during the byelections.
\nWhile speaking to the media, Iqbal accused PTI workers of his party worker\u2019s death. \u201cThe murderers would not be spared from the law,\u201d he said adding that he would call the deceased a \u201cpolitical martyr\u201d.
\n\u201cHe stood for the right cause, for which he was killed,\u201d he added.
\nThe ECP took notice of the incident and said that a formal investigation will be conducted outside Narowal\u2019s Zafarwal polling station.
\n\u201cRegional Election Commissioner Gujranwala has been appointed the inquiry officer for the probe,\u201d an ECP spokesperson said.
\nThe ECP also took notice of a presiding officer signing a blank form 45 in Punjab Assembly\u2019s PP-149 Lahore constituency, it said in a press release on its wesbite.
\nThe commission has sought an immediate report from the Election Commissioner Punjab so that this matter can be resolved and the commission can take further legal action.
\nSporadic violence elsewhere
\nIn Sheikhupura\u2019s PP-139, the polling process was temporarily stopped after a \u201cfiring incident\u201d.
\nIn a statement, the Punjab election commissioner\u2019s office said that due to a \u201cfiring incident\u201d at a polling station (Government Primary School Nizampura), the polling process had been stopped.
\nHowever, it had later resumed after the police controlled the situation, the statement added.
\nIn Lahore, at polling station number 171 (Lahore College), workers of the PTI and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) coalition had a scuffle with those of the PML-N on the issue of setting up polling camps. The argument was then resolved with the help of police.
\nThe provincial election commission\u2019s control room also took notice of reports of the polling process in Gujrat and Rahim Yar Khan\u2019s PP-266 stopping.
\nIn a separate statement, the spokesperson said that the police controlled the situation at the polling station in question in Gujrat.
\nIt added that a scuffle in Rahim Yar Khan took place outside a polling station at Mohib Shah.
\nIstehkam-i-Pakistan Party\u2019s (IPP\u2019s) Shoaib Siddiqui claimed there were reports of a face-off in Union Council 184.
\nSeparately, SIC\u2019s Mian Shahzad Farooq claimed that his party workers were being arrested in NA-119 and that the polling agent had been forced out of the returning officer\u2019s office after he went there to file a complaint.
\nAcross Lahore, 24 superintendents, 45 senior deputy police officers (SDPOs) and 168 inspectors, station house officers (SHOs), and investigation in-charges will serve their duties during the by-elections.
\nA total of 195 pickets were established at Lahore\u2019s entry and exit points while the security was on \u201chigh alert\u201d.
\nLahore Capital City Police Chief (CCPO) Bilal Siddique Kamyana said the security officials were providing \u201ccomplete security for the peaceful conduct\u201d of the by-election.
\nIn a statement, the CCPO emphasised there was \u201czero-tolerance\u201d for exhibition of arms and firing incidents.
\nHe highlighted that voters would be able to enter the polling stations after getting clearance from the three-tier security arrangement.
\nCCPO Kamyana further said that officials of anti-riot force and reserve forces would remain alert to deal with any untoward incident.
\nIn Bhakkar\u2019s PP-93, District Police Officer (DPO) Mohammad Naveed visited \u201csensitive\u201d polling stations of the area.
\nBhakkar District Superintendent of Police (DSP) special branch Malik Tariq Awan and troops of the Pakistan Army also accompanied the DPO during the visits and gave a briefing to the officials on duty.
\nDPO Naveed ordered the officials to put all resources to use to ensure peaceful polling process.
\nIn Sindh, by-elections were held in Kambar-Shahdadkot\u2019s NA-196, where PPP\u2019s Khurshid Junejo was contesting against Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan\u2019s (TLP) Mohammad Ali.
\nSindh Election Commissioner Sharifullah directed officials to remain alert to ensure clear, transparent and peaceful polls, urging the public to use their right to vote.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lahore Counting of votes is underway for 21 national and provincial seats after polling concluded amid the temporary suspension of cellular services in specific districts of Punjab and Balochistan to \u201csafeguard\u201d the electoral process. According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), by-elections were held today on five vacant seats of the National Assembly; 12 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":401684,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-401661","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n