Amidst serious threats of violence and terrorist attacks during the forthcoming general elections, the candidates are sweating blood to relocate polling stations from security-sensitive constituency of the Buner district, while the officials concerned are turning a blind eye towards this powder keg of a place.
As ironic as it may sound, one of the contesting candidates had made frequent requests before the district and returning officers of both NA-28 Buner and PK-77 Buner, but both have yet to realise the weight of their responsibility given the sensitivity of this particular region.
Almost all the ANP stalwarts and candidates from this part of the province are under threat of being attacked by the TTP and other militant organisations. Meanwhile, the custodians of law have not only advised the political party against arranging rallies and processions, but they were not even in a position to hold corner meetings. Frequent threats of terrorism have adversely affected the campaigns, and might even result in a low turnout on May 11.
Meanwhile, in a haphazard move made by the returning officers at the same district, the polling stations have been selected in extremely inconvenient, sensitive locations and could easily lead to disappointment amongst the electorate. In this regard, the ANP candidate from PK-77 Sardar Hussain Babak through a written application has requested the officials concerned to reconsider their decisions.
Babak has registered his objection over at least 129 polling stations situated in PK-77 that he termed as highly flammable. He said that some of these stations have been amalgamated with each other whereas some were placed too far away. He informed that despite the presence of high and middle schools in the area, two polling stations in his native village have been established in a two-room primary school. By selecting such buildings that are located near the main road, the elections staff and electorate have been turned into sitting ducks.
Further, Babak said that in Totalai Town almost all polling stations were in remote areas which would confuse and annoy the voters. The situation is considered to be so bad in these restive areas that a single primary school had been selected as a combined polling station for both male and female voters.
Babak called upon KPK CEC Justice (r) Shehzad Akbar Khan, District Returning Officer Buner and Returning Officer PK-77 for early review of these locations. He said, if the authorities concerned failed to remove the sense of insecurity amongst candidates and electorate, it would be termed as a pre-planned attempt to deprive voters from exercising their democratic right. Moreover, he also called upon the media, civil society organisations, Human Rights Commission, Aurat Foundation, the United Nations and other foreign missions of election observers to take early notice of the ill-planned placement of polling stations in PK-77.
