With all its diversities the scorching heat of May on Saturday (Election Day) is going to test the nerves of over 86.189 million registered voters across Pakistan.
The voters, however, are in the high spirit to use their right of vote. According to the Pakistan Metrological Department (PMD), weather on the day of polling would be ranging from sunny to partly cloudy thunder rain.
Both climates can be termed as adverse as the former (sunny), the forecast would bring high level of humidity along that would make the voters feel the heat while the latter (partly cloudy thunder rain) may lead to rains with thunderstorm, thus making polling stations inaccessible for the voters.
The weather in Sindh and Balochistan would, respectively, be sunny and mostly sunny on Saturday, shows the PMD’s four-day weather outlook for different cities.
Whereas the voters in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Kashmir may be witnessing weather partly cloudy with chances of thunder rain.
Except DG Khan, where the weather on Saturday is forecast to remain mostly sunny, all major cities of Punjab province are likely to see a partly cloudy weather with chances of stormy rains.
The weather would remain mostly sunny in major cities of Balochistan like Quetta, Zhob and Ziarat. While a sunny atmosphere would make the voters badly sweat in Jiwani, Kalat, Khuzdar and Sibbi.
The voters in Sindh province, the experts believe, would find it hard on Saturday to stand in long queues awaiting their turn to caste vote, especially in Karachi.
“Though weather Saturday (in Karachi) would remain in the range of 34 to 36 degree centigrade, increased humidity would make the voters sweat a lot,” a Met Office official told Pakistan Today.
The experts said humidity on Election Day would range from 40 to 50 percent, as it was today (Thursday). Thursday (at 9pm) saw a cloudy weather in this metropolis with mercury and humidity standing respectively at 29 degree centigrade and 70 percent and winds running at a speed of 23 kilometers per hour.
“Minus sweating factor the weather on Saturday would be pleasant, especially in Karachi where sharp winds already have lessened the temperature,” said the official. He said humidity increases in the absence of dry air.
In the rest of country, particularly in KP, a rainy weather is expected on Saturday, he said.
He did not rule out possibility of rains with thunderstorm in other provinces like Punjab, KP, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The voters, however, do not seem to give a damn about these predicted atmospheric odds and are determined to go to the polling stations come what may.
“I would go for balloting come what may,” said Zeeshan Jaffery, a public relation executive from Gulshan-e-Iqbal.
“Obviously, we would even spend the whole day at the polling station,” said Kashif Ahmed, who lives on University Road Peshawar, the provincial capital of KP.
Asked if a bad weather could impact his resolve, Kashif, a customer representative officer at a telecommunication company, replied, “This question stands irrelevant given my jiyala thoughts. You know the answer.”
“Of course we would go for voting,” replied Suhail Sattar from Bhutta Village area of Keamari Town when asked if he would love to sweat at polling stations on Saturday.
“Never mind the weather! This day would return after five long years,” said Suhail, who works at a container terminal. The 25-year-old is supporting PTI which, he believes, would bring a change.
“God willing, this time voting is a must for me. To contain the hot weather I would vote in the morning,” said Wasif Ausaf from Block 8 of Gulistan-e-Jauhar.
Saeed Ahmed, a rent-a-car proprietor in Keamari Jackson Market, is also not ready to care about the weather, saying, “I along with my whole family would go to polls and vote for PTI.”