Maintaining law and order: Police monitoring activities of 890 activists

List of potential trouble makers prepared as part of security plan for LG polls

ISLAMABAD: The capital police have prepared a list of 890 political workers and candidates who could be potential trouble makers during the first ever local government elections in Islamabad.

The list has been prepared in light of the information collected from intelligence sources as well as past record of workers and political violence in the city.

Police sources said those on list include workers of various political parties. Majority, however, are independent candidates contesting elections in rural areas.

The list has been forwarded to area magistrates.

Officials said the “potential troublemakers” will have to appear before the magistrate and submit an undertaking that they would abide by the law and election code of conduct. Police will be monitoring them too.



A senior police official on condition of anonymity told The Express Tribune that police would be closely observing the polling stations which have a history of political violence.

Police have already marked 50 polling stations sensitive.

Meanwhile, the administration on Monday also held a meeting with local representatives of various political parties to address their complaints regarding election campaigns and code of conduct.

Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Captain (retd) Mushtaq Ahmed chaired the meeting, which was attended by senior district administration, police and elections commission officials. Local leaders of PPP, PTI and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) attended the meeting. They pointed out complaints regarding the code of conduct and difficulty in carrying out campaign as the administration has imposed Section 144, which bans the assembly of more than five persons in a public place.

PPP Islamabad District President Sibte Shah urged the administration to allow parties to carry out rallies. However, SSP Sajid Kiani said the police were bound to implement the election commission’s code of conduct and could not allow taking out rallies.

JI’s Kashif Chaudhry said Section 144 had become a joke as it was being violated openly by many candidates.

There are a total 676,795 registered voters in the city. Of them, 309,896 are women.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24^th,  2015.