FAFEN gives Sialkot by-poll all clear

Express Tribune

03-06-2025

During a by-election at Sialkot PP-52 constituency on Sunday, observers belonging to the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) documented persistent instances of illegal campaigning near polling stations, isolated violations of voter identification, ballot processing, and counting procedures.
In a three-page report issued on Tuesday, Fafen, however, noted that the general environment around polling stations remained largely peaceful on the polling day.
PML-N's candidate Hina Arshad Warraich received the highest number of votes in the by-election held after the seat fell vacant because of the demise of her father Arshad Warraich. Both the PTI and the PPP had later accused the ruling party of using state machinery to win the polls.
The report said the by-election was marked by a slight decrease in voter turnout and a reduction in the number of invalid votes compared to the 2024 General Elections amidst isolated procedural irregularities, including the disruption of the counting process by police officials at a polling station.
Despite a decline in turnout – from 50% to 45% – the margin of victory increased significantly, from 8,535 votes in GE-2024 to 39,684 in the by-poll. The Provisional Consolidated Statement of the Results of Count (Form-47) was finalized at approximately 1:15 am, well within the legal deadline of 2:00 am.
The report cited a particularly serious incident, in which a police contingent entered the premises of Polling Station No 169 when the count of ballots was underway.
"They removed the party agents and observers present in the counting hall and took the election materials and polling staff away with them without waiting for the process to be completed. Fafen was unable to obtain a copy of the result of the count of the polling station for the by-election."
The report noted that while voter turnout in the by-election was lower than in GE-2024, it was slightly higher than the turnout recorded in the recent NA-213 Umerkot by-election held in April 2025.
Female voter turnout dropped from 47 percent in GE-2024 to 39 percent, while male turnout decreased from 53 percent to 50 percent in the by-election.
"According to Form-47, the PML-N's vote share rose from 41 percent in GE-2024 to 59 percent in the by-election. The runner-up independent candidate, backed by PTI, saw his vote share decline from 35 percent to 29 percent."
Fafen had deployed ten trained observers including seven men and three women, who observed voting and counting processes at 39 of the 185 polling stations established in the constituency.
According to Fafen observers, around 79 percent of the observed polling stations had party's/candidate's camps in the close vicinity of polling stations while 85 percent polling stations had banners or flags of contesting candidates or parties displayed in their surroundings.
The party camps around polling stations were also displaying campaign materials and distributing voter chits and food to visitors around 23 percent of the observed polling stations. Party-supported vehicles were seen providing transport to voters outside 46 percent of the observed polling stations.
It said the polling officers were observed to be checking the National Identity Cards (NICs), marking the thumbs of the eligible voters with indelible ink, obtaining their thumb impressions on electoral rolls and striking off their names on the electoral rolls at almost all of the observed polling booths.
"However, they were observed to be skipping to loudly call out the name of the voters so that the polling agents could know the identity of incoming voters and match it with their copy of electoral rolls at 49 percent of the observed polling booths," it added.