ISLAMABAD, June 3, 2025: The by-election in PP-52 Sialkot-IX was marked by a slight decrease in voter turnout and a reduction in the number of invalid votes compared to the General Elections (GE) 2024 amidst isolated procedural irregularities, including the disruption of counting process by police officials at a polling station.
Despite a decline in turnout – from 50 percent to 45 percent – the margin of victory (i.e., the difference in votes between the winning and runner-up candidates) increased significantly, from 8,535 votes in GE-2024 to 39,684 in the by-election. 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.
Although the general environment around polling stations remained largely peaceful on polling day, FAFEN observers documented persistent instances of illegal campaigning near polling stations, as well as isolated violations of voter identification, ballot processing and counting procedures.
In a particularly serious incident, a police contingent entered the premises of Polling Station No. 169 Government Boys Elementary School Kotli Noonan (Combined) in the Kot Bulanda and Kot Bhagat electoral areas when the count of ballots was underway. They removed the party agents and observers present in the counting hall and took election materials and polling staff away with them without waiting for completion of the process. FAFEN was unable to obtain a copy of result of the count of the polling station for the by-election. During GE-2024, independent candidate Fakhir Nishat Ghumman had secured 461 votes from the polling station followed by 360 votes by the-then Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Arshad Javed Warraich, and 90 votes by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) candidate Muhammad Shafaqat. The polling station had reported a turnout of 58.7 percent during GE-2024. A total of 1,758 voters were registered for by-election on this polling station.
Chaudhry Arshad Javed Warraich of PML-N had won the seat with a margin of 8,535 votes in GE-2024. The by-election was necessitated by his demise. According to the List of Contesting Candidates (Form-33), a total of 15 candidates contested the by-election including three women and 12 men. PML-N had nominated the daughter of its deceased lawmaker. Three other candidates represented TLP, Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarian (PPPP), and Pakistan Nazriyati Party (PNP). The remaining 11 contested independently including one backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
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 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. This report is based on their observations at 15 male, 9 female, and 15 combined polling stations.
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. The general atmosphere inside the polling stations was conducive for voting at the observed polling stations, However, seating arrangements for the elderly, sick, and persons with disabilities (PWDs) was available at 64 percent observed polling stations.
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.
The Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs) were observed to be complying with the due process of ballot issuance – documenting the voter NIC number on the counterfoil, taking their thumb impression on the counterfoil, signing and stamping the counterfoil and back of ballot paper. However, the APOs at 13 percent of the observed polling stations reportedly had marked their signatures and official stamps on back of ballot paper beforehand. Though this practice is not explicitly prohibited under the existing legal and regulatory framework, such ballot papers may be prone to misuse. Additionally, FAFEN observers reported from 44 percent of the observed polling stations that at least 18 voters were turned away either for not possessing original NICs or for not being registered at the polling booth or station where they presented themselves for ballot paper.
Except for the incident described in the beginning of the report, the ballot counting process was observed to be orderly at the observed polling stations. Presiding Officers (PrOs) provided copies of the Result of the Count (Form-45) to all polling agents present during the counting. However, at three percent of the observed polling stations, copies of the Ballot Paper Account (Form-46) were not provided to polling agents. Additionally, at six percent of the observed polling stations, PrOs did not provide copies of Form-45 and Form-46 to election observers.
FAFEN interviewed polling staff deployed at the observed polling stations. Around 90 percent of PrOs reported having received training before their deployment. However, eight percent of Polling Officers (POs) and 15 percent of Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs) reported not receiving refresher training, while approximately 15 percent of Security Officials stated they had not received any training before deployment.
FAFEN observers interviewed 121 polling agents present inside the polling stations during the polling process, including 34 representing PML-N candidate, 33 PTI-backed independent, 25 TLP, 22 PPPP, and the seven other candidates. Of these, 116 expressed satisfactions with the polling process including 34 of PML-N, 31 of PTI-backed independent, 24 of TLP, and 21 of PPPP. FAFEN also interviewed 31 polling agents during the counting process with all of them expressing satisfaction with the process. These included eight agents each representing PML-N, TLP and PPPP and seven representing PTI-backed independent.
FAFEN observers reported that access routes to 95 percent of the observed polling stations were in good condition, and wheelchair ramps were available at entrance of 67 percent of observed polling stations. Voters with disabilities were documented at 35 percent of the observed polling stations, elderly voters at 82 percent, and pregnant women at 23 percent. In most cases, polling staff and security officials were observed providing preferential treatment to persons with disabilities, elderly citizens, and women.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had set up 185 polling stations – 57 male, 57 female and 71 combined – comprising 623 polling booths – 331 male and 292 female – to cater 297,185 registered voters – 157,725 male and 139,460 female voters. The ECP had deployed 1,502 polling staff including 194 PrOs, 460 APOs, 654 Polling Officers, and 194 support staff in the constituency to conduct the polling proceedings on election-day. An analysis of the polling stations established reveals that nearly 85 percent were non-compliant with Section 59(3) of the Elections Act, 2017 that recommends a maximum of 3,00 voters per polling booth and 1,200 voters per polling stations in normal circumstances. However, the average number of registered voters per polling station surpassed 1,600.
