LAHORE: Chief Election Commis­sioner Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan instructed all district returning officers and returning officers on Friday to exercise their full authority during the second phase of local government elections in Punjab and Sindh.

He said the polling staff should discharge their duties without accepting any influence or intimidation from any side.

The CEC was chairing a meeting held here to review the arrangements made so far for holding the second phase of LG polls in the two provinces on Nov 19.

Also read: Sindh, Punjab told to suspend arms licences before LG polls

He directed the Punjab and Sindh governments to suspend arms licences two days before the polling day.

Mr Khan said the step was necessary to ensure peaceful and violence-free LG polls and that there would be no compromise on the issue.

Informed sources said the CEC told participants of the meeting that lessons had been learnt from shortcomings observed in the first phase of the LG polls. He pledged to ensure better environment for the voters and polling staff in the second phase of the polls.

Mr Khan was briefed by Punjab’s chief secretary, home and local government secretaries, inspector general of police, election commissioner, district commissioners and returning officers on the preparations made so far for the elections.

For his part, the CEC informed the meeting about security of ballot papers and other election material, polling bags, election campaign, institution of election tribunals and posting and training of election staff.

He said that in addition to Rangers and police personnel army men should be deployed, in the shape of a quick-response force, to ensure foolproof security at all sensitive polling stations.

Punjab officials informed the CEC that Hafizabad had been declared as the most sensitive district in their province because of possibility there of an outbreak of violence during or after the polls.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2015