All polling stations of PS-106, PS-117 declared ‘sensitive’

Karachi

The Election Commission of Pakistan announced on Monday that it had declared sensitive all polling stations for the provincial assembly seats PS-106 and PS-117 by-elections scheduled on June 2.

It also announced that law-enforcement agencies’ personnel would be deployed in and outside the polling stations for 

Provincial election commissioner Tanveer Zaki made the announcement at a press conference after reviewing the arrangements for the by-polls.

The two seats had fallen vacant after two Muttahida Qaumi Movement MPAs, Iftikhar Alam and Dr Sagheer Ahmed, quit the party and joined the Mustafa Kamal-led Pak Sarzameen Party.

There are 73 polling stations in PS-106 of which 27 have been declared highly sensitive and the rest sensitive. The total number of polling stations in PS-117 is 84 of which 22 have been declared highly sensitive and 62 sensitive, said Zaki.

The meeting chaired by the provincial election commissioner was attended by the representatives of the home department, the education secretary, Rangers and police representatives, , the Karachi commissioner, the colleges director, the deputy commissioners the East and Central districts and the returning officers of the two districts.

The participants of the meeting reviewed the security plan approved for the by-elections, according to which Rangers had been given magisterial powers and 662 police commandos and the same number of other cops would be deployed at polling stations.

Rangers would be deployed in and outside the polling stations and public holiday has been declared in the two districts on June 2.

The election material to the returning officers will be dispatched a day before the polling under the supervision of the law-enforcement agencies.   Nearly all major political parties have fielded their candidates for the two seats.