An election commission worker packs documents for polling stations in their bags for general elections. PHOTO: AFP/ FILE
The number of sensitive polling stations has nearly quadrupled in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) since the last general elections.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) declares polling stations to be sensitive, highly sensitive or most sensitive after taking stock of a number of reasons.
Requesting anonymity, a retired ECP official told The Express Tribune polling stations in the province and tribal belt were classified based on the history of bloodshed and violence in the region. He added the number of most sensitive polling stations was likely to increase following the recent attacks on election gatherings.
Prior to declaring a polling station’s status, the official said three points are considered: The possibility of political rivalries among activists leading to confrontations at the site, domestic disputes on local levels and the strength of ideological differences in the area. “The remoteness of a polling station also matters, as a voter, who has to travel a long distance to cast his vote, can be targeted en route,” he added.
The official maintained it was not the duty of ECP personnel to make judgments on the ground situation at polling points. He explained district officials, police, and law enforcement agencies provided information on the situation in their respective areas to district ECP offices, which later circulated it between provincial and federal ECP offices.
Another former official of the ECP said all stakeholders were bound to cooperate for security according to articles 218 and 220 of the Constitution. “As in the past, all departments have cooperated with the ECP and a set pattern is being followed,” he added.
According to a senior official of the Home and Tribal Affairs Department, the K-P government has decided to deploy 80,480 security personnel across 9,284 polling stations. The personnel will be provided by the Frontier Constabulary, Frontier Corps, Frontier Reserves, Elite Force and Pakistan Army and the ECP will request further deployments as per their requirements, he added.
However, he maintained the provincial government requires at least 10,000 more security personnel. “1,000 new polling stations will be established,” he added, explaining the additional stations will also require security personnel.
The official informed the number of sensitive polling stations have nearly quadrupled due to growing insecurity in K-P and Fata. “In 2008, 1,122 stations were declared sensitive. But now that figure has gone up to nearly 4,000.” There are 4,773 joint polling stations, 2,384 for males and 2,127 for females across K-P apart from the 1,000 additional polling stations.
As many as 10 security men will be deployed on highly sensitive polling stations while seven security personnel will be deployed on sensitive polling stations. Five security personnel will be assigned to normal polling stations.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 27th, 2013.
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I fail to understand why there is so much focus on security on poll day by EC. I mean security is good, but there seems to be an apprant threat to attack voters or polling stations. TTP seems to have accepted the elction process as long as parties conforming to their mindest r winning. With regards to threats, TTP has already declared that their target is the election gatherings of ANP, MQM, PPP, and they have been successful in their goals so far. Surprisingly, nothing is being done for the apprant, actual and tangible threat, but a lot of emphasis is being put on the polling day. It is as if EC is only concerned about "the holding of election" and the "success of a particular group of parties" on that day and nothing more.