KARACHI: With the constituents of NA-246 in Karachi central district set to cast their ballots in a fiercely contested by-election on Thursday, the chief of the paramilitary Rangers on Wednesday visited the area to oversee the security measures taken at polling stations and the chief minister declared that pillion-riding will be banned only in the district and not across the city as announced earlier.

Also, all schools and colleges situated within the constituency shall remain closed on Thursday due to the by-poll, the education and literacy department notified.

Rangers Director General Major General Bilal Akbar with senior officers in the convoy visited several polling stations and also inquired about the level of security arrangements from the paramilitary force soldiers deployed there.

“He was briefed by different officers during his visit to several polling stations,” said a source privy to the details of Maj Gen Akbar’s visit.

“He took a keen interest in the placement and operation of the closed-circuit television cameras which were installed on his proposal for video surveillance of the electoral process. The Rangers chief also visited the command and control centre of the temporary surveillance system,” the source added.

Rangers personnel were seen deployed at almost all the 213 polling stations of the constituency where 357,861 voters are registered.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah chairing a meeting held to review security arrangements chided the home secretary for imposing a ban on pillion-riding across the city for three days.“By-election is being held in Karachi central district only and you have imposed the ban [on pillion-riding] in the entire city — is it justified?” a statement issued by CM House quoted Mr Shah as questioning home secretary Mukhtiar Soomro.

Calling it a normal working day in other districts, he directed the home secretary to ‘amend his orders’ and reissue the notification mentioning the ban on pillion-riding only for Karachi central district.

In the meeting, also attended by chief secretary Siddiq Memon, Sindh IG Ghulam Hyder Jamali, Rangers deputy director general Brigadier Imran, Karachi commissioner Shoaib Siddiqi, Karachi police chief Ghulam Qadir Thebo and DIG west Feroze Shah, some senior officials gave a briefing on detailed security measures planned by the law-enforcement agencies for the by-poll.

“There are 213 polling stations with 769 polling booths housed in 55 buildings,” said the statement referring to the briefing by the officials. “In the 55 buildings where polling stations are located 770 police personnel will be deployed. One SHO will control three buildings. This way 2,556 policemen will provide security to 852 polling stations.”

The participants in the meeting were also informed that there would be 11 SP rank officers, nine DSPs and 18 SHOs to maintain law and order in the constituency.

Brig Imran said 2,622 Rangers personnel were deployed in the constituency. Of them, 1,422 will be on duty inside the polling stations and 1,200 around the polling stations. “We have installed cameras and have developed a well-equipped Control Room at Rangers Headquarters,” he said.

He said the Rangers also had developed a rapid response system to respond within three minutes in case any problem was ‘created by miscreants’.

“The Rangers have occupied 213 polling stations,” the brigadier stated. “Election materials have been transported under tight security. We will keep an eagle eye on every voter so that ballot papers may not be taken out,” he said.

Briefing the meeting about the code of conduct designed for the day of voting, the chief secretary said the Election Commission had given clear instructions to install cameras outside polling booths and disallowed cellphones inside the polling stations.

Apart from the detailed security arrangements in the constituency, the Karachi police also identified 20 ‘flash points’ in the city which were sealed or cordoned off for security purposes, said DIG west Feroze Shah.

He said 420 policemen had been deployed at the 20 flash points including Kati Pahari, Banaras and other areas.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play