Supporters of two political parties clash during vote recount in Pakistan's Balochistan, 2 killed, 14 injured

An armed clash between supporters of two political parties during a vote recount in Pakistan’s turbulent Balochistan province resulted in the death of at least two persons and injuries to 14 others, police said on Thursday.

The clash erupted between the supporters of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) outside the office of the returning officer in Hub, an industrial town on the border with Karachi.

Following the February 8 elections, Muhammad Saleh Bhootani of BAP declared victory based on unofficial results, while PPP’s Ali Hassan Zehri requested a vote recount to challenge the outcome.

Consequently, the Election Commission of Pakistan mandated a recount of the votes.

“The clash took place when the recounting was taking place on Wednesday with votes of 39 polling stations being recounted, and fights broke out between supporters of both candidates,” PTI quoted SSP Hub Manzoor Ahmed Buledi as telling reporters.

Gunshots were fired, leaving two dead and 14 injured.

The PPP supporters claimed this was a ploy to delay the announcement of the results.
A doctor at the Jam Ghulam Qadir Memorial Hospital said the injured people and two dead persons received multiple bullet injuries.

Buledi said the Frontier Corps were called in to control the situation.

There has been unrest in the province of Balochistan since a day after the general elections were held last week, with at least four political parties blocking main highways and enforcing a shutter-down strike in Quetta and other parts of the province against alleged rigging in the polls.

With inputs from agencies