“The election commission has given us power to call the army. I have asked RO and presiding officers in my area to call the force in case of emergency,” says District
Returning Officer. PHOTO COURTESY ISPR
Out of the 4,213 polling stations in Karachi, 1,278 have been declared “most sensitive” by the Election Commission of Pakistan while 2,225 polling stations have been declared sensitive. Army personnel can be deployed in consultation with district administration and returning officers at the most sensitive stations and extra police and Rangers personnel will be deployed at the sensitive ones.
The list provided by the provincial election commission reveals that 265 “most sensitive” polling stations are in East district, 220 in South district, 440 in Central, 305 in West and 248 in Malir. According South District Returning Officer Shahid Shafique, Lyari, Burnes Road and Lines Areas were the most troubled localities in his area. “I have written to the Sindh government for the deployment of armed forces but we have not received a positive response as yet,” he said, adding that the chief secretary and IG police have assured him that strict security measures will be taken in such areas. “The election commission has given us power to call the army. I have asked RO and presiding officers in my area to call the force in case of emergency,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 11th, 2013.
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