KARACHI: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has made all necessary arrangements including security measures for re-polling in 43 polling stations of Karachi’s NA-250, PS-112 and PS-113 on Sunday as PPP clamoured for boycott in a belated decision.
As per the security plan, 3500 security personnel will discharge their duties. Policemen, rangers and army personnel would be deployed at each polling station.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a press release said that the army troops would be deployed at 43 polling stations of NA-250 in compliance with the notification of ECP.
Some 40 polling stations are located in South Zone of the metropolis while other three are in East Zone out of total 43 polling stations where the results were with held by the election commission on complaints of rigging and other irregularities in the May 11 elections.
Even the voting in some of the polling stations could not be started due to unavailability of election material and staff, mismanagement and interference by the unauthorised people.
For re-polling the election material has been shifted from the office of the District Returning Officer (South) to the polling stations.
The polling will start at 8 am and continue till 5 pm without break at polling stations Nos. 4, 7, 11 ,48, 52, 56, 57, 58, 60, 62, 77, 78, 97, 98, 100, 101, 104, 106, 109, 110, 113, 114, 115, 117, 121, 122, 131, 135, 136, 137, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 148, 157, 165, 168, 175, 177, 179 and 180 where 166 polling booths have been established.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have announced a boycott in protest while the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) is taking an active part in the re-polls.
The MQM had announced the boycott on Friday after the ECP rejected its demand for re-polling in the entire constituency NA-250. Meanwhile, PPP’s local leader Najmi Alam in an about-face, told a news conference on Saturday night that the party was boycotting the re-polling as the “ECP is not ready to listen to us.”
The PPP's decision to boycott the re-polling came hours after PPP Sindh General Secretary Taj Haider, in a statement, urged the party workers and supporters to fully participate in the election process.
