Motivated voters turn up in large numbers at polling stations

Rawalpindi:Most of the polling stations in the city area in town received a heavy turnout of voters particularly after noon however unlike the general elections held in the past 15 years, this time the element of joy and pleasure was recorded a little low.

Most of the voters reaching polling stations were highly motivated but the interaction among the voters and supporters of different political parties could be termed as the least as compared to the polling process during the general elections held in 2018, 2013 and even 2008. People had always been enjoying the political activities in the past but this time, there was a feeling of fear or better say confusion among the individuals as majority of the political workers belonging to different political parties were not in the mood of sitting or gossiping with each other.

The ballot boxes got filled after noon in most of the polling stations located along Benazir Bhutto Road and link roads in the city area. There were long queues of voters at both the male and the female polling stations in the afternoon but a strange silence was witnessed around the polling stations in even the most congested areas of the town. The voters this time are highly motivated and people have been taking the political process more seriously unlike the past, said Syed Kazim Raza Zaidi, aged 54, resident of the main city area while talking to ‘The News’ on Thursday. He added the atmosphere at the polling stations is highly peaceful but unavailability of cellular network has created a sense of fear in a good proportion of the population.

Hira Qadeer, aged 24, a resident of Dhoke Khabba area said all the voters of her family polled their votes early in the morning and it happened for the first time that not a single voter belonging to her family has missed the political process. Faisal Mansoor, aged 40, a senior media man while talking to ‘The News’ said unlike the past general elections, this time the political workers of none of the parties could come up with success in developing a event like scenario in their vicinities and it seems as the people are just performing a duty by polling their votes and not enjoying the process. It is important that around most of the polling stations in the city areas, the voters were not sharing their political views with others, the reason however was unknown.

Meanwhile, the accident and emergency departments at the teaching hospitals in town including Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital have received no extraordinary burden of patients on the Election Day, at least till filing of this report.

District Health Officer ICT Dr. Muhammad Zaeem Zia informed ‘The News’ that all public and private sector hospitals have been asked to remain on high alert through a notification issued on Wednesday. The hospitals have been asked to ensure availability of emergency services during and after polling timings to coup with any emergency situation, he said. In the evening on Thursday, the DHO informed that the emergency units have been alert and patrolling across Islamabad. “So far, things are well and safe,” he said, adding the teams of the health department are ready to respond to any emergency situation in ICT.