The youth, which make up almost 60 percent of the Pakistani population, kept trying desperately to get their votes verified on the number given by the by the City District Government Lahore especially after the unprecedented Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf rally, but failed since the phone numbers were dysfunctional even on the last day. The Election Commission had announced October 31 as the last day of vote verification. The CDGL in collaboration with the EC and NADRA had opened telephone line (111293031) to facilitate the locals of Lahore in getting their votes verified. However, these lines were dysfunctional and could not be reached. Even though votes are registered till the very last day before the elections, the verification is being done now to tally the numbers with NADRA. Well placed sources in the CDGL claimed that the district government had outsourced the phone lines to a call center and after a few days of inauguration the line went out of order. The source said the helpline had been given to a call centre that had five to seven operators only, adding that no checks had been imposed by the CDGL in this regard.
Meanwhile numerous PTI supporters kept trying to get their votes registered. The PTI rally stirred a new wave of voting craze mainly in the youth who have never voted in any of the elections in the past. Though the Jalsa of PTI was on October 30, Sunday and the very next day was the last day of vote verification, the young voters claimed that they faced numerous problems while verifying their votes as the telephone help lines were busy all day on Monday and that at times the lines were shut down as well. Countless youngsters from around the city complained about the vote registration method saying that it had technical flaws. Critics claim that the phone line going out of order would be a great set back for PTI as the party mostly consists of youth who were voting for the very first time.
Aqsa Mughees a student of FAST after watching history unfold at Minar-e-Pakistan started dialling the given number to verify her vote. “I tried calling on the number continuously for 4 hours on Monday morning but either the lines were kept engaged or I heard no tone after the dialling the number,” she said. She said she was voting for the first time and that she wanted to vote for Imran Khan who stood as a symbol of hope for the country. She said PTI’s rally had a great impact on her perceptions and now voting had become mandatory for her.
Hassan Masood a young technocrat and a graduate of GIKI too complained about the problems in getting his vote verified. He said he had tried many times to get his vote registered even before the rally but he got no reply from anywhere. He was of the view that the EC should add extra time in the deadline due to technical flaws.
ISF President Farrukh Habib while talking to Pakistan Today in this regard explained that it was the last date of verification and not registration. “Registration can be done even a day before the election,” he said. He said the ISF was well aware of the non-functioning telephone lines and it was jotting down a plan in which different teams would be sent out to houses to assure all their vote have been verified. He added people can download the verification forms which were available on the official site of PTI and Election Commission and drop them off to any PTI office after filling them. He assured that all voters would be given a chance of voting. While answering to a question he said that the PTI was getting ready to register a petition demanding to add more time in the verification process. Punjab EC head Akhtar Hussain, and spokesman of the Punjab government Pervaiz Rashid could not be contacted despite many attempts.
DEADLINE EXTENDED:The voter verification deadlines has been extended till November 5 for the convenience of the public.
