Electioneering was in full swing in the Punjab and Sindh provinces for the third phase of LB elections scheduled to be held on Saturday (Dec 5) in the country’s commercial hub Karachi and in 12 districts of Punjab province. Over 2.2 million registered voters will go for polls to elect their candidates contesting from 158 union councils of Rawalpindi district. The highest number of sensitive polling stations is in Karachi West where only 43 of the 937 have been declared “normal”, and among the rest 497 are “highly sensitive” and 396 sensitive.
Advertisement
The Sindh government, in consultation with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), deployed 35,057 police personnel and 7,400 Rangers at polling stations in Karachi.
Around 5,251 candidates will be competing for slots of chairman and vice chairman in five municipal corporations, 12 district councils and 58 municipal committees. In 16 union councils of Rawalpindi, polls have been delayed on the court’s orders.
Dispatch of ballot boxes and election material has been completed.
Saturday’s polls will be held under the shadow of the second round of local government polls in Punjab where women were barred from voting in some areas. There are 8578 Assistant Presiding Officers (POs), and 4465 Polling Officers besides 1771 Presiding Officers who are fully prepared to hold smooth elections in the district. The Commission has also established a control room in Islamabad which will work till the results, Radio Pakistan reported.
The notification also stated that security officials of the Rangers and Pakistan Army will be allowed to take action under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) if citizens face an interruption in the electoral process. As many as 859 polling stations were declared sensitive in Karachi’s District Central. About 999 polling stations would be available for the voters of district council, 598 for municipal corporation and 174 for municipal committees respectively.
He said 10 companies of Pak Army were also deployed.
The ECP has declared 1,791 polling stations out of total 4,141 as highly sensitive.
Advertisement
There are 12 major political parties and groups – Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Sunni Tehreek, Jamiat-i-Ulema Islam-Fazl, Jamat-i-Islami, Jamiat-i-Ulema Pakistan-Noorani, Awami National Party, PML-Functional, Mohajir Qaumi Movement, and Qaumi Awami Tehreek – besides a large number of independent candidates contesting the LG elections.
