Polling stations’ security a gigantic task for KP government Minister vows enough measures to ensure peace

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is facing a gigantic task of providing stringent security to the unprecedentedly huge number of polling stations for the upcoming local government (LG) elections as thousands of polling stations have already been declared sensitive and the armed forces have refused to perform duties inside the stations.
However, the provincial government is optimistic of ensuring security during the polls. The army, Frontier Constabulary (FC) and police from other provinces have been called for the election to ensure peace and order on the polling day.
Provincial Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Inayatullah Khan also seemed concerned about ensuring security during the elections, besides a number of other issues relating to the polls.
He told participants of an awareness seminar on local government elections and subsequent media talks that enough measures would be taken to maintain peace on the occasion. He said the army had refused to perform duty inside the polling stations. However, the quick response forces would remain vigilant on the day and the armed forces would patrol on the roads, he added.
The seminar was jointly organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Local Government Department and Cell for FATA Studies, University of Peshawar on Thursday.
The moot was also addressed by former chief justice Peshawar High Court Mian Mohammad Ajmal, Dr Hussain Shaheed Soherwardy, some professors of the university and secretaries of the provincial government. A good number of university students and faculty members attended the moot. Inayatullah said the total number of registered voters for the local government elections were 13.357 million, of which 7.438 million were male and 5.596 million female voters. He said that 3,295 polling stations had been planned for male voters and 2,963 for female voters. The number of polling booths, according to him, would be 17,309 for men and 13,608 for women.
He said the 11,262 presiding and assistant presiding officers and 30,808 polling officers would supervise the polls. According to fresh updates of the elections commission, a total of 84,420 candidates are contesting for the 41,762 seats for the district, town/tehsil and village neighbourhood councils. The total number of general seats for the 25 district councils of the province is 978, for which 5480 are contesting, while similar is the number of general seats for the two/tehsil councils, for which 5907 candidates are trying their luck.
Moreover, the general seats at the village/neighbourhood councils are 23111, for which 39079 candidates are in the field. The number of women seats at the village councils is 6678, for which 7681 candidates are contesting, which means a clear majority of the women candidates have been elected unopposed. Similarly, 15700 candidates are competing for the 3339 seats of peasant/workers and 14224 for the 3339 seats of youth.
Interestingly, only 349 candidates have turned up for the 3339 seats for minorities. So, 2990 seats for the minorities in various village and neighborhood council would remain vacant. Those responsible for the seat distribution should have at least kept in mind that most of the districts of the province do not have non-Muslim population at all and seats have been reserved for them.
The minister informed media persons that every step would be taken to ensure maximum participation of women in the local government elections. Action would be taken against those stopping women from using their right to vote. He said that in order to attract female voters, polling arrangements have been made at the far-flung areas of the province.
He said the advanced and progressive local government system in the province would be a role model for the rest of the provinces. He said that devolution plan, provincial rules of business and guidelines for the local councils were being formed, which would be implemented in the province after being okayed by the provincial cabinet. He said that a high level committee under him had been formed to ensure effective implementation of the decentralisation plan.