Over 80pc of AJK election staff cast votes in advance polling
MUZAFFARABAD: More than 80pc of government employees deployed on election duty in 26 territorial constituencies of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly cast their votes in advance polling on Monday, officials said. Election Commission...
More than 80 per cent of government employees assigned election duty in 26 territorial constituencies of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly took part in advance polling on Monday, according to election officials.
Election Commission Secretary Raja Mohammad Shakeel said the exercise was conducted after polling in one Sudhnoti constituency was cancelled following the death of an independent candidate. He said the commission had originally set advance polling for staff in 32 territorial constituencies on July 20, but later postponed voting in five constituencies in Poonch district and one constituency in Sudhnoti because of the prevailing law and order situation.
Mr Shakeel said 24,107 government employees had been assigned election duties in the 26 constituencies where advance polling was held, and around 80 per cent of them cast ballots in what he described as a peaceful and orderly atmosphere.
Chief Election Commissioner retired Justice Ghulam Mustafa Mughal visited polling stations at the district headquarters complex in Muzaffarabad and expressed satisfaction with the turnout and arrangements. He was accompanied by Senior Member Khawaja Mohammad Ahsen, Member Syed Nazeerul Hassan Gillani, Secretary Raja Mohammad Shakeel and other officials.
Separate polling booths were arranged for male and female government employees. Police personnel and duty magistrates were deployed to maintain security and monitor the process throughout the day.
Speaking to reporters, Mr Mughal praised the participation of government employees and said he hoped the rest of the electoral process would also be completed peacefully. He said the successful completion of advance polling showed the Election Commission was prepared for the July 27 elections.
“There is no question of delaying the elections. The polls will be held on schedule under all circumstances, and no attempt to disrupt the democratic process will be allowed to succeed,” he said.
Mr Mughal added that government employees had voted peacefully without any major incident and commended the coordination among the Election Commission, district administrations and law enforcement agencies. He said security arrangements involving the Pakistan Army, Rangers and the Quick Response Force had been finalised for polling day.
Mr Ahsen said the dispatch of election material to returning officers had been completed and the remaining logistical preparations were moving according to plan. He said the advance polling also served as an operational test for the election machinery ahead of voting day.
Later, Mr Gillani told journalists that the ballot boxes used in advance polling had been sealed according to legal procedure and handed over to the relevant returning officers under strict security. He said those votes would remain sealed until July 27, when they will be counted together with ballots cast on election day.
This report is based on a monitored public feed and is attributed to Dawn Pakistan.
Source: Dawn Pakistan - https://www.dawn.com/news/2017118/over-80pc-of-ajk-election-staff-cast-votes-in-advance-polling
