PESHAWAR, April 29: The Election Commission of Pakistan and the law enforcement agencies have finalized all arrangements in the Frontier province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas for the presidential referendum to be held on Tuesday.

Provincial Election Commissioner Altaf Khan told Dawn on Monday that 53,215 polling staff, including presiding officers, assistant presiding officers and polling officers, had been deputed to conduct referendum in the province and the tribal areas.

He said that the necessary polling material had been dispatched to all the districts and directives had been issued to the polling staff to complete arrangements at the earliest.

The Election Commission has deputed 11,856 presiding officers, 34,296 assistant presiding officers and polling officers to supervise the referendum process in the 23 districts of the NWFP.

For Fata and five Frontier Regions 1,915 presiding officers and 5,148 assistant presiding officers and polling officers have been deputed. The presiding officers will get Rs640 as honorarium and travelling allowance, while the assistant presiding officers and polling officers will get Rs575.

The Election Commission has decided to set up 11,856 polling stations, 17,142 polling booths in the settled areas and 1,915 polling stations and 2,547 polling booths in the tribal areas. Peshawar will have some 800 polling stations. The Election Commission handed over polling material, including ballot boxes, to the presiding officers at the Nishtar Hall on Monday.

In Peshawar the capital city police have impounded a large number of vehicles to transport polling staff and material to the polling stations. The vehicles have been parked at the ground of High School No.1.

Mubarik Shah, a bus driver, complained that traffic police had impounded around 400 vehicles since Saturday.