Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar. PHOTO:INP
By-elections: ECP appoints monitoring officers
The chief minister was informed that 4,759 polling stations had been established for eight National Assembly (NA) and 11 provincial assembly seats. Polling stations were categorised according to security needs while 807 sensitive polling stations would be monitored through CCTV cameras.
Addressing the meeting, the chief minister reiterated that every effort would be made to hold transparent and impartial by-elections. He added the display of weapons would be banned. In case of any violation, the law would come into force, he added.
He ordered that no incidents of celebratory firing or fireworks should occur and all necessary arrangements should be completed well in time. He said indiscriminate legal action would be taken against those involved in celebratory firing or fireworks. The Punjab home secretary gave a briefing about the security arrangements for by-elections. The chief secretary, officials of the police and law-enforcement agencies attended the moot.
Earlier, it was declared that the Lahore police had devised a comprehensive plan for the security of 881 polling stations ahead of by-elections scheduled for October 14 in Lahore.
Lahore Police Deputy Inspector General of Police Operations Shahzad Akbar Rana, while talking to The Express Tribune, said that the polling stations have been categorised according to their sensitivity. He added that 183 polling stations fall in category A.
Rana said that the plan for by-elections will be a replication of General Elections 2018 held on July 25. As part of the policy of the Election Commission of Pakistan, Station House Officers (SHOs) of 27 police stations, which fall in the constituencies where by-elections are going to be held, have been transferred. Also, SHOs from other districts have been appointed in the city.
He said that police officials and volunteers would be deployed for security on by-election day. At least four police officials and volunteers will be deployed for the security of polling stations falling into category A.
Police will also cordon off areas surrounding polling stations as per the code of conduct announced by the Election of Pakistan (ECP). The force will use barricades, barbed wires tents for this purpose.
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Law enforcement agencies will also make use of closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) installed by the Punjab Safe City Authority (PSCA) in different parts of the provincial capital to maximise monitoring and surveillance.
Besides these arrangements, teams of the Police Response Unit (PRU) and Dolphin Squad will remain on patrol. A team of PRU and dolphin squad will be responsible for maintaining security at five polling stations.
Meanwhile, senior police officers will be constantly monitoring the security arrangements while either on patrol or through control rooms.
In addition to the police, the Pakistan Army and Rangers will also be deployed and take on the responsibility of providing security inside the polling stations.
As far as providing security to corner meetings, rallies and gatherings was concerned, police asked candidates to inform law enforcement agencies about their activities two days in advance. The aim was to ensure that security would be available at all given times.
DIG Operations said that police were providing foolproof security to participants of meetings and rallies ahead of by-polls.
He said that besides ensuring security arrangements and maintaining the law and order situation, they were also taking steps to implement the ECP code of conduct for by-elections.
He also vowed to take action against political activists regardless of their political affiliation for violating code of conduct.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 13th, 2018.
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