Election day arrangements: In Pindi district, 7,000 police personnel to be deployed

16 companies of Pakistan Army have been called in to ensure peace.

RAWALPINDI:

To help maintain law and order, Rawalpindi police has recruited 7,000 personnel for a special police force to be deployed at polling stations across the district on election day.

Talking to The Express Tribune on Thursday, Rawalpindi Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) (Operations) Mujahid Akbar said strict security measures had been taken to ensure peaceful polls.

He said the special police will be provided with police uniforms and paid three-days’ salary from the district police department’s funds. Some 16 companies of Pakistan Army will be deployed to assist the police and the quick response force. “Military personnel will be present to respond to any emergency,” the police officer said.

“We are taking utmost care to ensure peaceful polls. Eight to nine security personnel including army, regular police personnel and special police will guard each polling station,” the SSP stated. However, no security cameras or walkthrough gates will be installed at any polling station, not even at 93 of the most sensitive ones.

“Security personnel will film everyone entering polling stations and frisk them,” said Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO) Abdur Razzaq. “So far we’ve been successful in keeping a strict vigil to avoid any untoward incident.” “Before the elections, we conducted raids and search operations in sensitive areas of the city, acting on intelligence provided by security agencies,” he added.

The CPO has issued a red alert and asked all SHOs to direct policemen deployed at all entry and exit routes not to allow any vehicle in the city without checking. He has also ordered deployment of personnel of elite force at entry and exit points.

Due to shortage of personnel, most of our policemen are on duty round the clock,” he said. We are trying our level best to protect people’s life and property and pray Allah Almighty to help us protect our people, he added. The police also take out flag marches comprising vehicles from all police stations of the district led by SSP Akbar.

The district police department was facing immense shortage of personnel and had written letters to the Punjab inspector general of police and the Punjab Home Department for recruitment of additional men ahead of the general election.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2013.