April 27, 2002	Saturday	Safar 13, 1423

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KOHAT, April 26: The Election Commission will establish 795 polling stations for referendum on April 30 in the former division and the Kohat frontier region, officials said on Friday.

In the Kohat district 363 polling stations will be established, 244 in Karak, 152 in Hangu and 36 in the adjoining tribal area.

The number of voters in Hangu, Karak and Kohat districts and the frontier region is 695,012.

Our Mansehra correspondent adds: More than 3,000 officials have been deputed for performing duty on 937 polling stations of Mansehra district for April 30 referendum, the local election commission sources informed Dawn here on Friday.

More than 0.5 million voters are expected to exercise their right of franchise in the referendum in Mansehra district. For seeking maximum turnout in the referendum, polling stations are being established at public places like bus and wagon stands, hospitals, busiest markets, shopping plazas and trade centres.

The election commission will establish 464 polling stations in Mansehra, 164 in Oghi and 189 polling stations in Balakot. All arrangements have been made for maintaining secrecy of the ballot paper and a control room will be established in Mansehra for collection of the results from all polling stations of the district.  

The polling will start from 9am to 7pm on April 30. Arrangements for maintaining law and order on the polling day have been also made and besides local police, the FC troops will also be deployed at the polling stations.

Our Dera Ismail Khan correspondent adds: Six hundred and thirty-nine polling stations for the April 30 referendum have been established in the district.

Sixty polling stations were established in the city and cantonment area of D.I.Khan, and the remaining 579 would function in other parts of the District.

The same number of presiding officers have been nominated who were given comprehensive briefing at District Auditorium Hall, the other day. Seven hundred and twenty assistant presiding officers, and the same number of polling officers would assist the presiding officers.

Special polling stations have been established at Bannu Adda, Flying coach Adda, Chashma Sugar Mills, Monoo Textile Mills, Tank Adda, Rescue-15 centre, DHQ Teaching Hospital and Gomal University to bring ease to the voters.

A large number of Nazim/Naib Nazims are working for the referendum round the clock.

Handbills are also in circulation. A kind of competition is going on among these “loyal” representatives to motivat the people to cast their votes in favour of Gen Musharraf.