July 06, 2006	Thursday	Jumadi-ul-Sani 9, 1427

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MUZAFFARABAD, July 5: AJK Chief Election Commissioner Justice Reaz Akhtar Chaudhry has said that those found violating election rules on the polling day would be dealt with strictly.

“Let there be no ambiguity that if any person uses counterfeit identity card or any other means to cast a fake vote or more than one votes or displays or uses arms on the polling day he will land in prison,” he told reporters after witnessing a mock polling exercise in an educational institution here on Tuesday.

AJK chief secretary Kashif Murtaza, IGP Shahid Hasan and other officials also witnessed the exercise during which police commandoes also demonstrated how they would get hold of such persons on July 11.

The CEC said that the Election Commission had set up 3,745 polling stations, each for not more than 500 voters, in 29 constituencies in the AJK territory to facilitate voters and ensure smooth polling. He said the army was also being called out for patrolling on the polling day while paramilitary troops and local police would stand guard at polling stations.

Mr Chaudhry, who is also the chief justice of AJK High Court, made it clear that he would not allow a slightest violation of the code of conduct.

“So far, I have taken notice of even small violations and we will be very much vigilant in future as well.”

When his attention was drawn towards advertisement campaigns of some candidates in different newspapers, he said the commission would determine expenditures of all candidates after elections and would disqualify those found exceeding Rs500,000 expenditure limit.

“We are monitoring newspaper advertisements and will take appropriate action at appropriate time,” the CEC added.