ISLAMABAD: Army soldiers will be deployed inside and outside the 43 polling stations of Karachi’s NA-250 constituency where re-polling will be held on Sunday.

Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa, Director General of the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), told Dawn on Saturday that under a comprehensive security plan thrashed out for the re-polling, troops would be deployed in and outside the polling stations.

He had ruled out deployment of troops at polling stations across the country during the May 11 elections because of the large number of polling stations. “But this time the task is manageable as the number of polling stations is only 43.”

He said troops had been mobilised and a security cover had been provided for transportation of ballot papers.

On Friday the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had dismissed the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s plea for re-polling in entire constituency. Subsequently, the MQM announced boycott of the re-polling.

A senior official of the ECP said it was democratic right of the MQM to boycott the re-polling but it would not affect the schedule for the re-polling.

He said the re-polling had been ordered because polling at the stations could not take place as the presiding officers could not reach there after receiving threats. Their substitutes also refused to perform election duty because of threats.

He said this time arrangements had been made to provide security to the polling staff and voters.

The commission in its Friday’s order had called for army deployment in and outside the 43 polling stations on Sunday with army support to the administration, Rangers and police for maintaining law and order in Karachi under Article 245 of the Constitution

Since the order came a day after Chief Election Commissioner retired Justice Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim met Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, it is believed that they had agreed on the army deployment.The total number of registered voters in NA-250 is over 300,000 and 70,000 of them are supposed to cast their votes at the polling stations. Analysts believe that the boycott by the MQM would mean a definite success for Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) candidate Dr Arif Alvi

Re-polling in Tharparkar The ECP decided on Saturday to hold re-polling at 47 polling stations in NA-230 (Tharparkar) and its corresponding Sindh Assembly Constituencies, PS-62 and 63, on June 1.

According to unofficial results announced by the ECP, the NA seat had been won by Shah Mehmood Qureshi of the PTI. The commission decided to hold re-polling on the basis of a report about irregularities received from the district returning officer and endorsed by the Sindh government.

The commission also ordered re-polling at four polling stations in the adjacent NA-229 on June 1. The seat had been won by Arbab Fawad Razzak, according to unofficial results. It asked the chief secretary of Sindh to make adequate security arrangements to avoid repetition of irregularities during the re-polling.

The ECP also ordered re-counting of votes at seven polling in PP-198 (Multan), according to an official.