PESHAWAR, May 9: The law-enforcement agencies have manned all points connecting Peshawar with tribal and semi-tribal regions in order to ensure foolproof security on the polling day on May 11.

The people from tribal and semi-tribal regions will be allowed to enter the provincial capital only after they produce computerised national identity cards, according to Peshawar’s capital city police officer Liaquat Ali Khan and commissioner Sahibzada Mohammad Anis.

The CCPO and commissioner told a joint news conference at Malik Saad Khan police lines on Thursday that security plan covering all areas of the provincial capital had been enforced in consultation with candidates.

“We have completed the process of deployment in all four national assembly and eleven provincial assembly constituencies in Peshawar, where 8,000 policemen in addition to reserved force, Frontier Constabulary will remain deployed, while the army and quick response force will be on standby and will come to the help of the administration within five to 10 minutes of the happening of a mishap,” the CCPO said.

He said entry of the people from tribal regions to Peshawar would be allowed on production of CNICs and that aerial surveillance would be conducted of the city’s areas declared the most sensitive.

Mr Liaquat said candidates should avoid movement from one polling station to the other for canvassing and ought to return home after casting vote at relevant poling stations.

“Candidates should inform police whenever they leave home for polling stations so that police could escort them from there and back,” he said, adding that only security guards with permit would be allowed to accompany candidates on May 11 and that the people and guards would have to keep licensed weapons in their vehicles or deposit them with the respective returning officers.

The CCPO said movement of Afghan nationals would be strictly banned and that they would remain confined to their camps or houses.

He said suspected people would be taken into custody, while no one would be allowed to brandish weapons on the polling day.

Mr Liaquat said voters and candidates would not be allowed to carry cellphones at polling booths and that they would have to deposit them with election staff before casting vote.

He said in case of any issue over votes, candidates would not entangle with each others and that only the administration would have the responsibility to resolve problems at initial stage.

The CCPO said media could get firsthand information from the relevant station house officers, deputy superintendent of police and control rooms.

On the occasion, the commissioner said security arrangements had been finalised but even then, terrorists would try to strike at any place to revenge the successful operation against them and the breaking up of their network by security forces in Tirah valley of Khyber Agency.

He said there were 94,000 voters in the 86,000 families of internally displaced persons and arrangements had been made to help them cast vote at Jalozai camp in Nowshera.

A local police official, who was also in attendance, said Peshawar district had been divided into different zones, especially the rural circle with special control rooms to share information with relevant officials and to brief media about events.

He, however, said there was a need to focus more on the city’s densely populated areas, where the people could easily move from one to another place.