August 18, 2005	Thursday	Rajab 12, 1426

KARACHI, Aug 17: Stage is set for holding first phase of local body elections 2005 in 11 districts of Sindh, including Karachi City District, on Wednesday, amid tight security to ensure polling in a peaceful manner.

The polling will be held between 8am and 5pm without any break on Thursday.

The Sindh government has deployed over 70,000 personnel of various law- enforcement agencies (LEA) in addition to mobilization of about 20,000 troops.

The troops and rangers have already started flag march and extensive patrolling in the city, particularly in sensitive areas. The government has deployed over 54,000 LEA personnel, including 19,000 Rangers alone in Karachi City district, besides mobilisation of about 10,000 troops, on the eve of and during the polling (on Aug 18).

For the first time in any election in the country, 150 video cameras have been installed in sensitive areas and helicopters will be used on polling day to monitor the election process

In addition a “rapid deployment force” has been set up to respond to any distress call in a shortest possible time to reach any troubled spot to ensure peace.

Strict security measures have been taken in the city in view of serious concern over law and order situation, expressed by various quarters.

The present elections are distinctive from the first LB polls held in 2001 as these are being held on the basis of joint electorate.

Another interesting feature is the emergence of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which had boycotted the 2001 elections, as one of the major players by fielding maximum number of candidates.

The provincial election commission, in its meeting held here on Tuesday, reviewed threadbare arrangements made for the polling day in Sindh.

Expressing satisfaction over the arrangements, the meeting formed teams to promptly collect results from returning officers and fax the same to the Election Commission of Pakistan in Islamabad for notification.

In the first phase, a total number of 20,790 candidates are in the run for 6,569 seats in 589 union councils as 1,088 candidates have already returned uncontested, including 81 in Karachi.

Those returned uncontested include 111 nazim and naib nazim, 270 minority councillors, 250 peasants/workers women, 161 Muslim women, 149 Muslim general, 130 peasant workers and 17 minority women seats.

Tharparker district, home-town of Chief Minister Dr Arbab Rahim, is on the top of the list among the 11 districts from where the highest number of candidates has been declared elected unopposed as out of 572 seats in 44 UCs, 295 returned uncontested, including 35 panels of nazims and naib nazims, 67 on Muslim general category, 55 peasants/workers women, 46 peasant/workers, 40 minorities, 38 Muslim women and 14 minorities women.

For joint panels of nazim and naib nazim, other districts from where candidates have returned uncontested are Jacobabad (18 out of 40 Ucs), followed by Kashmore and Sanghar from where 15 panels each have returned uncontested, out of 37 and 55 UCs, respectively.

Karachi is the only district where not a single panel has returned uncontested despite highest number of UCs i.e. 178. However, 81 candidates belonging to other categories returned uncontested in which 65 are from minorities.

In the Karachi city district, 8,464 candidates are vying for 2,233 seats of 178 Ucs.

Although the elections are being held on non-party basis, for all practical purposes almost all candidates enjoy support of various political parties including the ruling coalition and the Pakistan People’s Party, the Muttahida Majlis-I-Amal, the Awami National Party, the Sunni Tehreek, to name a few

Major contenders in the city are candidates belonging to the Haq Parast and Al-Khadim groups (having blessings of MQM and JI, respectively) while in interior of Sindh the main contest is expected to be between candidates of Awam Dost and Khushal Pakistan, having support of PPP and MMA).

Another distinctive group which is in the field is Faqir group, having the blessings of by PML-F of Pir Pagara. However, in some major urban centres of interior Sindh, like Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Sukkur, the Haq Parast group is equally in contest.

In the run up to the elections, a candidate for the post of nazim in Lyari Town, Maulana Abdul Rahim Naqshbandi, was killed and his two colleagues Riaz and Salim suffered injuries as they were fired upon by unknown persons. He belonged to the Islam Dost panel.

In Karachi city district, out of 3,728 polling stations, 1,513 have been placed in Category-A (more sensitive) are 1,850 are in Category B (less sensitive) while in the 10 districts of the interior of Sindh, out of 4,239 polling stations, only 535 are in Category-A and 2,680 are in Category-B.

The total number of registered voters in the 11 districts is 8,869,585 including 3,910,527 female voters.

According to the provincial election commissioner, Ahmed Ali Halepota, 7,967 presiding officers and 85,620 assistant presiding officers, would be on duty in addition to 28,540 polling officers while the number of returning officers is 112, including 17 female, and 115 assistant returning officers including 15 female.

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