Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party Demands Immediate Release of Local Election Results, Rejects Private Staff at Polling Stations
*Quetta (Daily Qudrat)* Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party (PNAP) Provincial President Nasrullah Khan Zaire, along with Provincial Deputy Secretaries Nida Singer and Rehmatullah Sabir, addressed public gatherings in Samungli, Killi Maryani Abad, and Ghabarg regarding the upcoming local government elections. They demanded that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announce results from all polling stations immediately after polling concludes on December 28, emphasizing that electoral laws do not permit any unjustified delay.
The leaders strongly rejected the appointment of private individuals as polling staff, stating that such practices are unacceptable under any circumstances. They warned that if the ECP, District Returning Officer (DRO), and Returning Officers (ROs) fail to cancel the deployment of private personnel and do not issue notification of results immediately after polling, PNAP reserves the constitutional and democratic right to protest in front of the ECP, DRO, and RO offices.
Other party leaders, including District Assistant Secretary Wadood Khan Bazei, Abdullah Jan Achakzai, Ajmal Khan Kakr, and Haji Barat Khan Maryani, also spoke at the gatherings. They expressed deep concern that the ECP was violating its own electoral laws and indicated that results might be delayed by two days, creating opportunities to unlawfully favor government-backed candidates.
The speakers highlighted that electoral laws require presiding officers to count votes in the presence of all candidates’ polling agents, issue Form 45, and immediately send results to the Returning Officer. Any delay of two days, they warned, would open the door to electoral fraud, which PNAP would not accept.
They further criticized the appointment of private individuals at polling stations as a sign of the ECP’s alleged bias and as part of organized manipulation to favor government candidates. Party members and the public were urged to be prepared for democratic protests if illegal decisions were not reversed.
The PNAP leaders emphasized that their real struggle is against corruption and the commission mafia, who aim to control local bodies just as they dominate provincial and national governments. They warned that if corrupt elements take over local councils, Quetta—already facing serious challenges—would face further deterioration, and citizens’ fundamental rights would be severely violated, pushing the city back into medieval-like conditions.
Finally, they urged the public to vote for all PNAP candidates in the local elections and mark their ballots with the party symbol of a bunch of grapes, supporting democracy, transparency, and public welfare.
