December 24, 2007	Monday	Zilhaj 13, 1428

ATTOCK, Dec 23: As many as 232 polling stations have been declared sensitive in the district. The local administration has decided to deploy over 2,000 police personnel at 764 polling stations for maintaining law and order during the January 8 elections.

Briefing local mediapersons about the security measures, District Police Officer (DPO) Tariq Hanif Joyia said a contingency plan had been made for holding elections peacefully.

The DPO said the district had been divided into 13 sectors and 78 sub-sectors. The SDPOs will supervise each sector and a station house officer (SHO) will be head of each sub-sector. He said, a central security control room would be set up at district police head office, where he himself would monitor the over all security arrangements on the election day. The officer said, extra police personnel would be deployed at the 232 poling stations, who would be on high alert besides taking other security measures for smooth and peacefully polling.

Besides police, about 3,029 employees of police reserves, personnel from Civil Defence, Janbaz, Excise, Forest guard and city watch would also assist the law enforcement agencies on the polling day.

Special escorts will be provided to the polling staff to transport ballot papers and other election material from polling station to the offices of the returning officers after the election process, he said. DPO Joyia said, the leaves of the employees of district police had been cancelled to ensure their presence on the polling day.

Law enforcement agencies personnel will also be deployed at all sensitive points of the district including markets, bazaars, bus stands, railway stations to keep strict vigilance on anti- social elements, he said.

All SDPOs and SHOs have been directed to personally patrol the areas of their jurisdiction and keep strict vigilance of the violation of election code of conduct to ensure free, fair and transparent elections and strict action would be taken in case of any violation, the DPO maintained.

No any person or candidate would be allowed to interrupt, create hurdles in the election process on the election day and if any person or candidate was found involved in any violation, he would be dealt with iron hands, the DPO warned.