Home minister requests army deployment only in Naro and Kingri polling stations, LG minister says army only on standby. PHOTO: EXPRESS
Eight districts of upper Sindh comprising 4,618,512 voters will head out to vote for their local representatives today. The polling starts at 7:30am and ends at 5:30pm.
Due to tense relations between some rival candidates, law enforcers have been deployed in sensitive areas. Naro and Kingri areas in Khairpur Mirs have been declared highly sensitive due to the rivalry between Pir Pagara and Ghous Ali Shah. “Naro and Kingri will be the only areas where the army will be deployed inside the polling station,” Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal told The Express Tribune.
However, local government minister Nasir Hussain Shah clarified that the government only recommended army deployment in these areas of Khairpur Mirs but the army troops will only be available on standby.
Siyal claimed that nearly 80 men from the armed forces and 700 from Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, will be deployed in these areas. “In other districts, armed troops will be available at the district headquarters where from they can move in if there is an emergency,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Bakrani area in Larkana district has been declared most sensitive due to the fact that Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) arch rival, the Unar family, is contesting in this area. In Mirpur Bhutto, the candidates belonging to the Mumtaz Bhutto panel are contesting the elections against the PPP, making this area highly sensitive in terms of law and order.
The union councils one to three in Larkana have also been declared sensitive, Larkana commissioner Ghulam Akbar Leghari told The Express Tribune. A large number of policemen along with 160 Rangers personnel will be deployed in these areas to avert any untoward incident.
Other most sensitive areas are located in Jacobabad, Thul and Garhi Khero, along with 114 polling stations in Kashmore’s Bakhshapur area. According to provincial election commissioner Tanveer Zaki, 2,219 Rangers personnel will be deployed in these areas along with the police.
In Shikarpur the polling stations in Majid Town, Garhi Yasin, Khanpur and Golo Daro union councils have been declared most sensitive. In Ghokti, the union councils Golo Pitafi, Muhammadpur and Kharoi have been declared sensitive and most sensitive
Over 65% polling stations declared sensitive
Out of a total of 4,010 polling stations in the eight districts going to polls today, the home department has declared 2,610, nearly 65 per cent, of them as sensitive and most sensitive. According to the data provided by the election commission, 1,053 polling stations in upper Sindh are most sensitive while 1,557 are sensitive, where there are chances of clashes erupting between the rival candidates and their supporters.
In Shikarpur, 81 polling stations have been declared most sensitive, followed by 61 in Larkana, 39 in Jacobabad, 114 in Kashmore, 155 in Kamber, 184 in Sukkur, 350 in Khairpur and 69 in Ghotki districts. Khairpur, the hometown of the Sindh chief minister, has been declared the most sensitive district in terms of holding the elections.
Meanwhile, a list of sensitive polling stations has also been prepared by the election commission secretary. These include 255 polling stations in Shikarpur, 173 in Larkana, 273 in Jacobabad, 90 in Kashmore, 131 in Kamber, 130 in Sukkur, 328 in Khairpur and 177 in Ghotki district.
Over 10,000 contestants
A total of 10,087 candidates were contesting the local government elections today but, of these, 707 have already been elected unopposed. The votes today will decide the fate of the remaining 9,380 candidates.
There are 472 union councils and committees in these districts but the total number of constituencies including ward, town and municipal committees stands at 2,333. According to the Sindh election commission, there are 950 constituencies in Sukkur, Ghotki and Khairpur districts where 5,193 candidates will contest the polls.
Similarly in Jacobabad, Kashmore, Kamber Shahdadkot, Larkana and Shikarpur districts as many as 4,894 candidates will contest the elections.
The officials of the provincial election commission said eight district returning officers, 4,434 presiding officers and 27,186 assistant presiding officers have been appointed in these districts.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 31st, 2015.
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