Baloch disenchanted with polls

By Kiyya Qadir Baloch 

ISLAMABAD: Nationalists’ threat of violence during elections in Balochistan kept many voters away from the polls, leading to the lowest turnout in any election since insurgency broke out in the province.

Though the Election Commission of Pakistan has said that the election turnout was more than 50%; however, local Baloch activists on social media reported a very smaller turnout of around 3% only. Political observers believe a direct threat from the insurgents and calls of wheel-jam strike from nationalists parties like Balochistan National Front, Baloch Republican Party in the Baloch-dominant areas curtailed public rallies before the polls and produced very low turnout in the province on the election day.