ECP seeks army help, declares 93pc polling stations ‘sensitive’

Karachi
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has declared 1,791 polling stations in Karachi to be “extremely sensitive” and in this regard has summoned 20 companies of the Pakistan Army and eight companies of Rangers to assist the Sindh Police in maintaining law and order during the last leg of local government election to be held in six districts of the city on December 5.
Moreover, the ECP has also granted Rangers personnel magisterial powers at the extremely sensitive polling stations which are located in areas including Lines Area, Ghas Mandi, Landhi and Lyari.
This was said by Secretary Election Commission Babar Yaqub Fateh during a press conference held at the office of Sindh Election Commission on Saturday. Sindh Election Commissioner Tanveer Zaki and ECP’s joint secretary Atta-ur-Rehman were also present on the occasion.
He disclosed that 20 companies of the Pakistan Army — comprising more than 9,400 personnel of Pakistan Army and Rangers — will assist the 25,000-men strong force of the Sindh Police on December 5, when the law enforcers will be deployed in and outside polling stations in the six districts of Karachi.
According to Yaqub, there were a total of 4,141 polling stations in Karachi out of which 1,791 were considered to be “extremely sensitive” and 2,116 to be “sensitive”. That left only 234 polling stations where there was no apparent danger of any violence.
He said the highly sensitive areas of the city included Lines Area, Landhi, Ghas Mandi, Shah Faisal Colony Lyari, Nazimabad, Khokarapar and Ibrahim Hyderi.
Secretary ECP Yaqub said six army companies will be deployed in district South, seven each will be deployed in districts East and West where the men in uniform will also form the areas’ rapid response forces.
It was said that 44 companies of Sindh Police and eight companies of Rangers personnel will also serve as rapid response forces across the city. Yaqub said more than 7,400 Rangers personnel will be deployed at the polling stations and will also patrol different areas of the city with army men.
Giving details of the security arrangements made by the Sindh government, he said seven policemen will be deployed at extremely sensitive polling stations, six at sensitive polling stations and five at the remaining normal ones.
Moreover, said ECP secretary, 28 mobiles of Rangers personnel and 180 motorcycles bearing police officials will be patrolling across the city and will conduct snap checking at different locations while plains clothes personnel will also be performing security duties alongside the law enforcers.
Besides, under Section 144 of the CrPC, assembly of more than five people in 300-metre radius of polling stations will be banned. Meanwhile, he said, rallies to celebrate the victory of candidates will also be forbidden.
Yaqub said there were a total of 5,401 candidates contesting the local government election on 1,520 seats in Karachi where more than seven million people will exercise their right to vote.
He said seven returning officers, 11 assistant returning officers and 42,465 presiding officers were taking part in the election process.
However, Yaqub lamented that certain state institutions were not cooperating with the ECP. He expressed his apprehensions that Pakistan Steel and Port Qasim authorities were not willing to work together with the ECP while some women polling staff in Malir were also refusing to perform their duties.
The senior ECP officials spent the morning reviewing the arrangements for the last phase of local government election in the province and discussed the pertinent matters.
Besides ECP officials, Chief Secretary Siddique Memon, Sindh IGP Ghulam Haider Jamali, Commissioner Karachi Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, representatives of Rangers and government departments concerned, and the district officials were also part of the meeting.
It was decided on the occasion to grant magisterial powers to Rangers personnel at the sensitive polling stations.
“Rangers will be given magisterial powers at the sensitive polling stations,” said Yaqub. “It has also been decided that arms licenses will be suspended during the local government election. Anyone found carrying a weapon will be arrested and tried.”
Members of the meeting led by Yaqub also reviewed the arrangements pertaining to printing of ballot papers, training of polling staff and logistics while expressing confidence that the final phase of the election in Sindh will be well organised.
In his briefing to the media, ECP secretary Yaqub asserted that the local government election will not be delayed at any cost.