FAISALABAD: Senator Talal Badar Chaudhry said on Sunday that voters had refused to heed boycott appeals in the by elections, arguing that the public response at the polls showed a clear preference for participation over abstention.
Speaking to reporters after casting his vote in NA 96, the state minister for interior said that the effort by a political party to keep people away from the ballot box had not gained traction in Punjab. He asked why, on a day of nationwide voting, supporters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were encouraged to vote while those in Punjab were asked to stay away.
He said that urging citizens to abandon their right to vote was contrary to constitutional principles and that the Election Commission of Pakistan should address what he called an attempt to curb a fundamental right.
Talal said that his own party would respond to any notices it had received from the ECP through legal channels, adding that the main concern was the campaign to discourage turnout.
According to him, voters were taking part in recognition of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s governance and the federal government’s performance. He said turnout in Jaranwala and other constituencies appeared stronger than normal by poll levels and that no polling station had recorded a functional boycott. He said final figures would be confirmed later but early indications suggested an above average participation rate.
The minister said security arrangements had held firm and that the police, rangers and army personnel were carrying out duties under the ECP’s supervision. No serious disturbance had been reported, he said.
On minor breaches such as voters filming inside polling areas, Talal said isolated issues should not overshadow the wider conduct of the vote. He said polling agents were present, ballot secrecy was intact and procedures were largely followed. He urged the ECP to pay attention to what he described as the bigger issue, which was the call to boycott the election.
