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| September 4, 2002 | Wednesday | Jamadi-us-Saani25,1423 |
Control rooms set up at range offices to monitor polls activities
RAWALPINDI, Sept 3: The Punjab government has set up control rooms at the range offices of the deputy inspector generals (DIGs) throughout the province to monitor election activities, an official source said on Tuesday.
These control rooms would be supervised by the superintendent police (range).
The source said issues relating to law and order and security during the electioneering would be communicated directly to the central headquarters and the concerned district Nazim office.
The government has lifted ban on political activities from Sunday (September 1) giving the contestants 39 days to contact their electorate.
The permission, however, barred the political parties from taking out processions or holding rallies on roads, streets and railway stations. This, the officials say, had been done to prevent disruption of normal public life.
Gatherings, relating to election campaign could only be held at the identified spots after permission from the concerned district governments. In Rawalpindi city the only venue allowed for public gathering was the historic Liaquat Bagh.
With hundreds of candidates contesting elections and with only one venue for staging gatherings, the political circles believe that getting permission for holding public rallies at Liaquat Bagh on a desired date would be an uphill task.
District government sources said despite the lifting of ban candidates have not come forward for permission to hold political gatherings at Liaquat Bagh.
The Rawalpindi range police have been given the onerous task of arresting around 2,500 proclaimed offenders within a couple of weeks for peaceful general elections.
This action has reportedly been taken by the government on the reports by the security agencies that some anti-state forces may attempt subversive activities in the country in collaboration with proclaimed offenders, who have been alluding the law enforcing agencies, to destabilize the electoral process.
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