PPP’s Mandokhel seen ransacking polling station in footage

Although the Thursday elections in Karachi went by and large peacefully, a few violent incidents, such as Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Abdul Qadir Mandokhel brazenly ransacking a polling station, marred the day.

Moreover, like every elections, political parties levelled allegations of rigging against their opponents. A video went viral on social media in which the PPP’s candidate for NA-242 West Mandokhel can be seen carrying ballot papers and aggressively marching on a polling station with his supporters.

His supporters kick open the door of the station and they march towards the polling room. Some policeman can be seen deployed there but they do not attempt to stop Mandokhel. After entering the room, Mandokhel and his men ransack it, use foul words and throw ballot boxes on the floor.

Later, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) took notice of the incident and directed the relevant returning officer to take action against Mandokhel under the Section 196 of the Elections Act.

Meanwhile, Karachi PPP President Saeed Ghani accused supporters of his rival Grand Democratic Alliance’s Irfanullah Marwat of snatching four books of ballot papers at the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Girls College in PS-105. Taking to the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Ghani alleged that the goons stopped the counting of votes after taking over the polling station.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) alleged that its National Assembly candidate Arshad Vohra was attacked by the PPP’s armed men on the direction of the Bilawal House chief guard Akram Baloch. Several MQM-P workers were also injured, the party said in a statement. According to a spokesperson for the party, the MQM-P workers were attacked when they confronted PPP workers involved in rigging at the CMS School on Nishtar Road.

“The Election Commission of Pakistan should take notice of the hooliganism and rigging by the PPP,” the spokesperson said. However, MQM-P leader Farooq Sattar rejected reports of an attack on his life and said he was safe inside his election office.

In a video statement, Dr Sattar said: “These rumours that my car was attacked and I was injured are false. These fake reports are being spread to create panic.”

In a video statement released on X, JI leader Hafiz Naeemur Rehman expressed concern over the law and order in the city.

He alleged that JI workers were fired at and injured outside polling stations in NA-232. Rehman claimed that the MQM-P had occupied several polling stations, including those in Shah Faisal No 2, Malir Khokhrapar and Nazimabad No 2.

The JI leader questioned the presence of the Rangers, stating that their failure to intervene in such incidents was shameful. He maintained that he tried to contact the Rangers director general but his calls went unanswered. He pledged to protest against such incidents.

Separately, Rehman claimed that the MQM workers had fired at JI workers and injured them in Shah Faisal Colony No 5. “The MQM has been defeated by the people and efforts are being made to force mandate,” he said in a post on X.