ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday congratulated people of tribal districts on their first-ever polling for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly.

For the first time in history, polling for KP Assembly’s seats is being held in the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) after its merger with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The minister felicitated the people on Twitter and wrote that the former FATA will be completely merged in the legislative framework after the provincial elections.

He termed the elections as a “great success of Pakistani nation.” The personal interest of Prime Minister Imran Khan made this victory possible, Chaudhry added. The minister also lauded the role of Pakistan armed forces and political parties.

Polling in the tribal districts kicked off at 8 AM in 16 tribal districts and will conclude at 5 PM today.

Personnel of Pakistan Army and other necessary staff have been deployed at 554 highly sensitive polling stations to ensure holding of the election in a peaceful and transparent manner.

According to the provincial election commissioner, polling results will be notified on WhatsApp due to a network issue in the area.

There are a total of 1,897 polling stations set up for the election. 282 candidates are vying for the 16 general seats of KP assembly. NNI