RAWALPINDI, Dec 17: About 361 polling stations in the Rawalpindi region have been declared highly sensitive prompting the authorities to deploy nearly 12,800 police personnel to maintain law and order on the polling day.

A senior police official told Dawn that out of the 2,059 polling stations to be set up in Attock, Jhelum and Chakwal, the three districts of Rawalpindi Range, 361 polling stations had been placed in category A and declared highly sensitive; 767 polling stations had been placed in category B and declared less sensitive, while 931 polling stations placed in category C had been declared normal.

Out of the 361 highly sensitive polling stations, 223 are located in Attock, 65 in Jhelum and 73 in Chakwal. While 402 less sensitive polling stations are in Attock, 147 in Jhelum and 218 in Chakwal.

Of the 931 polling stations declared normal under category C, 139 are in Attock, 355 in Jhelum and 437 in Chakwal.

In Attock, three polling stations have been declared most sensitive. They include one female polling station to be set up at MC Girls Middle School Mehr Pura and a male polling station to be established at Government Boys Collage. While 10 other sensitive polling stations are located in Saddar Circle.

Most of the sensitive polling stations of category A in Jhelum are located in Pind Dadan Khan.

Regional Police Officer (RPO) Nasir Khan Durrani told Dawn that an elaborate security arrangement plan had been chalked out to ensure law and order situation in the region.

He said around 12,806 police personnel, including anti-riot reserve of the Elite Force, would be required to perform security duty during the election. And out of the required strength of the police force, 5,312 personnel would be deployed in Attock, 3,350 in Jhelum and 4,144 in Chakwal.

The RPO said each of the district police officers of Attock, Jhelum and Chakwal would be having an anti-riot reserve of the Elite Force.

He said one SI with one ASI along with six constables would be deployed at each polling station falling in category A; one head constable with three constables would be deployed at category B polling stations, while one ASI along with three constables would be deployed at category C polling stations.

Mr Durrani said one group of policemen, two of them motorcycle riders, would perform patrolling duty covering five polling stations, while five constables with one ASI would patrol on a police van to cover ten polling stations.

He said physical search of voters would be carried out at the entrance of the polling stations. “It is not possible for us to provide metal detectors or set up walk-through gates at 2,059 polling stations in three districts,” Mr Durrani said.

A control room has already been established at the RPO office to monitor the law and order situation in the three districts during the election.