'Violence, abysmal turnout overshadow generally-compliant voting,' says FAFEN on NA-240 by-polls.

ISLAMABAD -- Election on a working day deterred a majority of voters from casting their ballots in NA-240 by-polls that largely remained orderly, but was overshadowed by two high-profile incidents of violence, according to the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN).

MQM-P emerged victorious in the NA-240 by-elections with a close margin of 65 votes against rival TLP. MQM-P's candidate Mohammad Abubakar secured 10,683 votes, while TLP's candidate Shahzada Shahbaz ended up second as he bagged 10,618 votes.

In a statement, FAFEN said the presence of party camps in close vicinity of polling stations was one of the most persistent and prominent violations of the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) Code of Conduct for Political Parties and Contesting Candidates.

'Supporters of rival candidates had set up camps around 88% of the observed polling stations,' FAFEN said, with its observers reporting the presence of armed persons at 22% of these camps.

It added that while these camps are generally set up by candidates to facilitate their voters in checking their serial numbers on electoral rolls, they are also the primary triggers of violence particularly in hotly contested neighbourhoods.

One such clash, according to the statement, was witnessed between rival parties in NA-240 outside polling station No.52, which led to the killing of...