February 18, 2008	Monday	Safar 10, 1429

PESHAWAR, Feb 17: In the already lacklustre electoral process, the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) has chalked out a plan for Monday to convince people for staying away from polling.

The component parties of the APDM would set up separate protest camps outside polling stations and main points in rural and urban areas of the NWFP and adjacent tribal areas in this regard.

Provincial convener of the alliance, Shabbir Ahmad Khan, said the APDM workers would not disrupt polling process and would not organise rallies and public meetings on the election-day.

“Our workers will remain peaceful and would not physically force any voters to boycott the elections,” Mr Khan said, adding that protest camps would be set up outside polling stations and public places in cities and rural areas.

APDM workers would distribute handbills and pamphlets among the people to persuade them to stay away from the polling process.

Jamaat-i-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad would lead an anti-election campaign in Lahore while JI provincial chief Sirajul Haq would run a similar campaign in the Malakand region. APDM workers would set up protest camps in all district headquarters of the province.

City District Nazim Haji Ghulam Ali said the district government would not ban political activities on the polling day in the provincial capital but nobody would be allowed to take law in hands.

“This is fundament right of every citizen and political party to carry out their activities in peacefully.

We hope that political parties will not violate the law,” he said and added that there was no need to impose Section-144 in Peshawar.

Mr Ali said the district government in collaboration with the law enforcing agencies had prepared extensive security plan for the polling day to encourage voters to exercise their democratic right in a peaceful environment.