Wazir said on Election Day no candidate would be allowed to campaign within 400 yards of polling stations. PHOTO: CREATIVE COMMONS
Following a series of attacks in Hangu and Kurram Agency which led to many fatalities, Orakzai’s political administration has banned political gatherings in the agency.
Political Agent (PA) Muhammad Aslam Wazir called all contesting candidates along with election commission officials to his office in Hangu for a meeting on Wednesday and announced the ban. He warned of strict action against violators.
Wazir said on Election Day no candidate would be allowed to campaign within 400 yards of polling stations and would not be allowed to set up tents within the limits of the stations either.
The PA further said candidates would not be allowed to come to polling stations with arms. “Neither candidates nor their guards can carry weapons in the limits of polling stations,” Wazir said.
A total of 102 polling stations have been set up in the lower parts of the agency and 24 out of these are highly sensitive.
Elaborating upon the security plan for May 11, Wazir said at least 15 levies personnel will be deployed at every polling station along with security forces, and Frontier Corps personnel will patrol from one station to another to avoid any untoward incident.
Talking about electioneering and voting in upper Orakzai, the PA said most of the locals are currently living in camps for the internally displaced in Kohat, Hangu and surrounding areas. Five polling stations have been established in Muhammad Khwaja camp and five in Hangu city for tribesmen belonging to upper Orakzai, while 11 have been set up in Kohat for those displaced from lower Orakzai, Wazir stated.
The PA further said these steps had been taken to ensure free and fair elections as well as to ensure safety of candidates and voters alike.
Some of the candidates complained to the PA that police officials in Hangu had snatched their vehicles upon which the officer assured them the issue would be resolved.
The ban was placed after Awami National Party’s candidate Syed Basharat Hussain held the biggest political gathering in the agency yet on Sunday despite militant threats to his party.
The volatile Kurram Agency and Hangu both share boundaries with Orakzai. The lower part of the agency is the centre of all political activity, while a military operation is still underway in various parts of upper Orakzai making the area susceptible to militant attacks.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 9th, 2013.
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