CHITRAL, Aug 21: About 155,800 people of Chitral district will use their right to vote in the forthcoming local bodies’ polls to elect nazims, naib-nazims and 266 councillors for 24 union councils.

According to the data gathered from the office of the district returning officer, Saleem Jan, 204 polling stations have been set up in the district with 619 polling booths. As many as 2,685 polling staff have been appointed in the polling stations. Training has been imparted to the polling staff and election materials are being sent to far-flung areas.

The district has been divided into five zones and placed under five returning officers out of which three are in Chitral tehsil and two in Mastuj.

DPO Mohammad Akbar Nasir told Dawn that 25 polling stations had been declared sensitive on different grounds and an additional force will be deployed to avert any untoward incident.

He said a 1,500-strong police force will be deployed while 350 jawans of Chitral Scouts have been called in and placed in reserve to meet any emergency.

He said that the polling stations have been declared sensitive in view of different considerations. He cited the reasons as being political differences, personal disputes, large numbers of voters in certain areas, presence of Afghan refugees and presence of criminals.

The DPO said that Arandu, situated in the Afghan border, has been declared sensitive due to the hostility between the Jigali and Kohistani tribes.

About the fast relaying of election results, he said that elaborate arrangements had been made to get the results, and added that wireless systems had been installed in far-flung areas like Yarkhoon Lusht, Zondrangram Terich, Oveer, Laspur, Khot, Rech and other stations where digital telephone lines were not available.

He said that the entire district has been divided into five sectors to monitor the election process and then cumulate results while a central control room would be set up in the district police line.