Balochistan LG elections: Independents lead according to unofficial results

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 05 Jan 2023

The results have started to arrive after polling for the local government elections in 32 of its 34 Balochistan districts ended at 5pm Sunday.

According to unverified and unofficial results, independent candidates lead on 1060 sets, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) is leading on 98 seats, Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) on 71, Pashtunkhwa Mili Awami Party (PkMAP) on 39, Balochistan National Party on 37, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and National Party (NP) on 26 seats each, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is leading on seven seats.

These are the latest results:

Kalat Division

Awaran,
Kalat,
Kuzdar,
Mastung,
Surab,

Loralai Division

Barkhan,
Dukki,
Loralai

According to the unofficial and unverified results of 24 out of 25 wards of Loralai municipal committee, BAP is leading in 17 wards, independent in four while PkMAP and JUI-F are leading on one seat each.

Musakhel,

Makran Division

Gwadar

According to the unofficial and unverified results of 106 out of 157 wards of Gwadar municipal committee, Haq Do Movement lead in 52 wards, independents in 34, BNP in 14, National Party in two .and JUI-F in one

Kech
Pangur

Nasirabad Division

Jaffarabad
Jhal Magsi
Kacchi
Nasirabad
Sohbatpur

Quetta Division

Chaman

According to the unofficial and unverified results of 34 out of 35 wards of Chaman municipal corporation, PkMAP is leading on 12 seats, JUI-F on six, ANP on five and BAP and Oolsi Movement on four each. Independents candidates lead on three seats.

Qilla Abdullah
Pishin

Rakhshan Division

Chagai
Kharan
Naushki
Washuk

According to the unverified and unofficial results of nine out of 10 wards in municipal committee Washuk, JUI-F is leading on seven seats, while BAP leads on three seats.

Sibbi Division

Dera Bugti

Out of 11 wards in municipal committee Dera Bugti, Shahzain Bugti’s Jamhoori Watan party (JWP) is leading on nine seats, while independents are leading on the remaining two seats.

Harnai
Kohlu
Sibi
Ziarat

Zhob Division

Qilla Saifullah
Sherani
Zhob

Poll violence

During the polling, violence was reported in several districts, while Qalat and Nauskhi have been hit by explosions. However, authorities foiled terror attempts in Kohlu and Chaman.

Only a couple of hours into polling, an armed clash took place between two groups in Nasirabad Municipal Committee Ward 25. Consequently, the voting process was suspended for a while.

Voter queue up outside a polling station in Pashin. PHOTO SAMAA.

Candidates and polling agents clashed with each other, and several were injured in the firing and shifted to hospital.

Election violence turned deadly in Qilla Abdullah district where one person was killed in Padag and another was injured in Kolak Union Council.

In Sibbi, two groups clashed in Ward-4 of Union Council Mal Chachar resorting to heavy gunfire, which left at least 10 people wounded.

At least three of the injured were in critical condition. A reinforcement of the Levies arrived in the area.

According to Returning Officer Wahid Sharif, the polling process resumed after a while.

In Loralai polling agents from rival ANP and BAP clashed over an alleged omission in the voters’ rolls in the Dargai Qilla area. The polling process was suspended.

In Chaman polling was suspended after political activists clashed in Ward-3 of the Municipal Council Chaman.

Political activists clashed using batons in Ward-7 and 21 of Dera Murad Jamali. At least two people were wounded including a candidate on miniority seat, Mahindar Kumar.

The police fired gunshots into the air to disperse the rioters.

Separately, two ballot paper books were found missing at the women’s polling station forcing the polling to stop.

In Kohlu’s Union Council 6 voters clashed with each other and also tried to beat up the polling staff. The polling process was suspended as seven people were left wounded.

Explosion in Naushki as other terror attempts foiled

In Nauskhi a bomb exploded near the women’s polling station in Ward-4 of the Union Council Mengal. However, no casualties were reported.

In Qalat, terrorists fired a rocket at Degree College Mangochar which hosted a polling station and lobbed a hand grenade at another polling station in Dastigard.

Earlier on Saturday, terrorists blew up a polling station in Kohlu’s Nisao area while bombs were defused outside polling stations in Chaman and Khuzdar, Atif Ali reported.

In Chaman, the IED was planted in a motorcycle parked in front of the Railway Station. A bomb disposal team from the Pakistan Army defused the bomb, which was packed with 7 kilograms of explosive material and ball-bearings.

Tough security measures

Balochistan Election Commissioner Fayyaz Murad urged the people to cast vote without any fear as, he said, authorities had ensured strict security measures across the province.

He said Kech, Gwadar, Panjgur, Khuzdar, Awaran, Chaman, and Qilla Abdullah districts had been declared sensitive

Police, levies, and FC personnel have been deployed in all the polling stations.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has set up 5,226 polling stations and at least 1,974 of them have been declared ‘sensitive’, including those located in Chaman, Khuzdar, and Kohlu.

Tight security measures have been taken to avoid any kind of untoward incident during the elections across the province.

Key political parties

Compared to the local bodies polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — where they became a popularity contest between PTI and its rivals especially JUI-F — the polls in Balochistan are considered a low-key affair. Hence, political activities in the run-up to the polling drew little attention from national-level leaders.

The National Party, BNP-Mengal, JUI-F, and other parties held corner meetings and other forms of canvassing at the local level.

However, Gwadar turned out to be an exception following a rights movement led by Maulana Hidayatur Rehman.

Although Rehman is not contesting the polls himself, he fielded several candidates in the election.

Rigging allegations

The allegations of poll rigging were heard in different districts, but in Loralai political parties held a demonstration on the national highway two days before the polls.

The political parties came together to protest the alleged rigging and held talks with the deputy commissioner before withdrawing a call for a strike.

Seats up for grabs

A total of 16,195 candidates contested for seven municipal council, 838 union council, 5345 rural and 914 urban ward seats. At least 1584 candidates have already returned unopposed, according to the election commission.

Elections in Quetta and Lasbela did not take place on the order of the high court in a case involving objections against new delimitation.