On Wednesday, the postal ballot polling concluded at Central Jail Adiala, marking a significant moment as Imran Khan, the incarcerated founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), utilized a postal ballot to vote. Fifteen prisoners, including Khan and the former Chief Minister of Punjab, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, engaged in the voting process.
This event unfolded despite unsuccessful efforts by Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, both former ministers, to secure postal ballots due to administrative challenges.
Legal Challenges and Voting Amid Constraints
Imran Khan, now facing four criminal convictions, three of which were announced just the previous week, finds himself barred from election participation and holding public office. Despite these hurdles, Khan and Elahi, along with thirteen other inmates, succeeded in casting their votes from within the confines of their cells, facilitated by providing postal ballots and voting materials directly to them.
Notably, a mere fifteen could vote out of 145 prisoners who requested postal ballots, underscoring administrative inefficiencies. The votes cast have been sent to the District Returning Officer at the Election Commission of Pakistan, adhering to prescribed protocols.
