KARACHI, Oct 8: Curtains were drawn on the campaign for Oct 10 elections Tuesday midnight as parties stepped up their activities to put across their agenda to the prospective voters.

City streets and vantage buildings were studded with party flags and symbols of Muttahida Qaumi Movement, People’s Party Parliamentarians, Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and two factions of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz and Quaid-i-Azam).

The lacklustre campaign, which had started at a snail’s pace after the withdrawal date on Sept 16, failed to evoke any enthusiasm among the voters due to uncertainty about the elections being held.

The absence of top leadership of three mainstream political parties, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, PPP and PML-N, led by Altaf Hussain, Benazir Bhutto, and Nawaz Sharif respectively, took away most of the excitement. However, frequent long-distance telephonic addresses by Altaf Hussain helped his party thrive on his personality cult.

But with the arrival of foreign observers the uncertainty fizzled out and parties came out with their election manifestos. Suddenly all vantage points and main arteries of the city were flooded with party flags, posters and banners of candidates.

During the election campaign, dozens of cases were registered about minor disputes over removal and display of party banners, flags and symbols. In the disputes, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Sunni Tehrik, Mohajir Qaumi Movement, MMA, PPP and PPP (Shaheed Bhutto) workers were accused by rival parties.

Except the deaths of two workers of rival parties in firing, the city remained peaceful throughout the campaign without sparking any violence which was an indication that a political culture of tolerance was taking root in the city, which had in the recent past witnessed severe violence, sparking disturbances, including strikes.

According to initial survey, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement has an edge over other parties as reflected from the electioneering and display of its election symbol. Though, like all other parties, it failed to fully mobilise its workers and supporters, the party is set to prove to its rivals that it continues to call the shots in the city.

Out of the 3,547 polling stations set up in the city, over 2,000 have been established in buildings while over 1,300 were improvised.

The home department has declared 948 polling stations sensitive where additional deployment of law enforcement agencies personnel is planned .

According to Chief Secretary K.B. Rind, a comprehensive security plan was put in operation after midnight to ensure peaceful atmosphere for elections. Some 30,000 security personnel have been deployed, including 11,600 police, while the rest have been drawn from rangers and other auxiliary forces, including private security guards.

On each sensitive polling station, an officer and five security personnel will be deployed, while on others one officer and three personnel of law enforcement agencies would be present.

The election authorities have taken all necessary measures to ensure that the polling should be held in an open, free, fair and impartial manner. For this purpose, no party is allowed to display its banner or election symbol.