February 16, 2008	Saturday	Safar 08, 1429

RAWALPINDI, Feb 15: Election authorities on Friday delivered all necessary materials including ballot boxes at 2034 polling stations in Rawalpindi.

Deputy Election Commissioner Rawalpindi division Zahoor Ahmed Pasha told Dawn that some 9,496 ballot boxes were sent to the polling stations in Rawalpindi amid heavy police security. Besides 47,480 seals were also delivered to returning officers (ROs).

In Rawalpindi district, over 2,431,272 registered voters would elect seven out of 54 candidates to the National Assembly and 14 out of 103 candidates to the Provincial Assembly.

District Police Officer (DPO) Saud Aziz has already declared more than 200 polling stations as “highly sensitive” where army and rangers would be deployed to ensure peace during and after the polling day.

The highest number of voters (403,566) is in NA-50 while the lowest number of registered voters (271,396) is in NA-54 where a neck-to-neck competition is expected between Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) candidate Raja Basharat and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Zamurd Khan.

Two other important constituencies in Rawalpindi— NA-55, 56— are considered highly sensitive.

As many as 2,034 presiding officers (POs) including 1,457 male and 577 female would perform their duties on the polling day. Over 577 polling booths have been set up for female voters while a total of 843 combined booths have been arranged in five constituencies.

The voters have been warned to leave the premises of polling stations after casting votes.

A Reporter adds: Only one of the total five returning officers in Rawalpindi issued 18 postal ballots as all the others received applications after the due date, it has been learnt.

According to information gleaned by Dawn from the offices of five ROs, NA-50 (Rawalpindi-I) RO Rana Nisar Ali Khan issued 18 postal ballots against applications received from different government officials and jail inmates.

The rest of the returning officers rejected all applications as these were submitted after December 15 which was the last date.