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Armed men have kidnapped the polling staff deputed at several polling stations of PB-50, Qila Abdullah, Balochistan during voting in the constituency in connection with a by-election on Sunday, a private TV channel reported.
Members of the polling staff have been kidnapped from polling station number 33, set up at Girls’ Primary School; polling station number 72 set up at Government Primary School; polling station number 96 set up at Government High School Norak; polling station number 97 set up at Rural Health Center Norak, and polling station number 99 set up at Government High School Norak.
On the other hand, talking to the media, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) candidate from the constituency Mirwais Khan Achakzai has demanded the immediate recovery of the polling staff.
He has called upon the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to fulfill its responsibilities to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections.
Meanwhile, a political worker has died and several others were injured as violence marred by-elections in Lahore and other cities in Punjab.
Local media reported several cases of violence in Ferozewala, Zafarwal, and the provincial capital Lahore, as clashes erupted between rival political factions.
In Zafarwal’s PP-54 constituency, a senior citizen was killed during a brawl between PML-N and PTI workers, reportedly due to a blow to the head with a baton. This incident resulted in the suspension of polling at the Kot Naju polling station.
In Lahore’s NA-119 constituency, workers of Sunni Ittehad Council and PML-N trade blows at Polling Station No. 171 near UET. A dispute over a camp set-up led to a physical altercation, and police arrested four individuals involved in the incident to maintain peace.
In Ferozewala’s PP-139 constituency, a confrontation outside Government High School Nizampura escalated into gunfire, injuring three people. Two men were arrested at the affected polling station.
The man injured in the Zafarwal dispute later died in the hospital. He had been struck on the head with a wooden stick during the altercation.