FAFEN report flags police interference, lower turnout in PP-52 Sialkot by-election

The Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) has released its observer report on the PP-52 Sialkot by-election, highlighting minor irregularities, a significant drop in voter turnout, and an alarming incident of police interference during the vote count at one polling station.

According to the report, the overall voter turnout dipped from 50% in the general election to 45% in the by-poll, with a sharper decline observed in women’s turnout — falling from 47% to 39% — compared to men's turnout, which decreased from 53% to 50%. Interestingly, the number of invalid votes also dropped, indicating some improvement in ballot validity.

One of the most concerning developments occurred at Polling Station No. 169, where police personnel allegedly interrupted the counting process, evicted party agents and observers, and removed election materials and staff from the hall. As a result, FAFEN was unable to obtain a copy of the results for this polling station. The organization noted that while counting was generally orderly at other stations, such incidents raise questions about transparency and accountability.

Despite these irregularities, Form-47 was completed by 1:15 am, within the legal timeframe, which extends to 2:00 am. However, Form-46 was not provided at 3% of the polling stations, and the legal requirement to call out voters' names aloud was not followed at 49% of the booths — a lapse in electoral procedure.

In terms of results, the PML-N significantly increased its vote share from 41% to 59%, while the vote share for the PTI-backed independent candidate dropped from 35% to 29%. The margin of victory also surged, climbing from 8,535 votes in the general election to 39,684 votes in the by-election.

Notably, FAFEN interviewed 31 polling agents during the count, all of whom expressed satisfaction with the overall process, despite isolated incidents of concern.