December 15, 2007	Saturday	Zilhaj 4, 1428

SIALKOT, Dec 14: The Election Commission has established 292 polling stations in border villages of Pasrur while some 55 per cent of them lack basic facilities like proper buildings, electricity and toilets.

In the jurisdiction of these polling stations fall the NA-114 and PP-127 constituencies where candidates of different political parties are in the race, including PPP’s Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas, PML-N’s Mirza Abdul Qayyum and several independents.

The candidates and civil society organizations said that they had repeatedly knocked at the door of the Sialkot-based EC officials to provide the missing facilities in polling stations, but to no avail.

When contacted, assistant returning officer (ARO) Malik Nisar Ahmad did admit missing facilities in most of the polling stations in Pasrur villages.

While EC officials said that all out efforts were being made to ensure the early provision of missing facilities in polling stations set up in far-flung villages of Pasrur.

Meanwhile, a high-level meeting of the district administration, EC officials, presiding and returning officers were held here on Friday to review the election arrangements.

District Returning Officer (DRO) Shoaib Ahmad Roomi presided over the meeting while Sialkot DCO Capt Atta Muhammad Khan (retired) was also present.

Speaking on the occasion, the DRO directed all the presiding and returning officers to ensure the announcement of Jan 8 election results till 10pm.

VOTERS EDUCATION: A local NGO “Koshish Welfare Society” launched voters’ education programme in Sialkot district’s all the 124 urban and rural union councils in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the supervision of Election Commission here on Friday.

Talking to reporters, society director Muhammad Arshad Baryar said that the people were being educated about the importance of the vote.

The UNDP also held a seminar on `voters’ education’ in Chawinda on Friday in which more than 350 people from all walks of life participated.

Speaker, including Muhammad Arshad Baryar, Tahir Bajwa, Tariq Mehmood Bajwa, Rafi Bajwa, Haji Muhammad Ishaq and labour leader Rifaqat Ali, underlined the need to make sincere efforts to bring voters to polling stations.

SHOT DEAD: A trader was shot dead on resistance during a broad daylight dacoity in Muhallah Bijli Ghar in Hajipura locality here on Friday.

Reports said that Nazar Abbas, 45, was going to Bakar Mandi when two armed dacoits stopped him and snatched Rs25,000 in cash from him. On offering resistance, the dacoits shot the trader dead on the spot. Later, the dacoits-cum-killers escaped with the cash.

Hajipura police have registered a case.