MUZAFFARABAD: Special police commandoes have been deployed in ten “most sensitive” constituencies of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly under the instructions of IGP Bashir Ahmed Memon, an official handout said on Tuesday.

An officer of the DSP rank would be at the head of these commandoes who had been assigned the task of dealing with election campaign related clashes and ensuring implementation of the code of conduct, the handout added.

It said that three persons allegedly involved in Haveli incident had been arrested and special teams constituted for the purpose were conducting raids to nab the remaining accused persons.

Two persons were killed and seven others wounded, including a PML-N candidate, in Haveli district on Friday, triggering a war of words between the local but also central PPP and PML-N leadership.

Among others, police had also booked minister for electricity Faisal Mumtaz Rathore and PPP candidate Khawaja Tariq Saeed in connection with the Haveli incident.

The PPP leaders say that they have been framed under a well thought out conspiracy because the PML-N feared its defeat from the area.

Prior to that, similar incidents, though of far less intensity, had also been reported from Bagh and Bhimber districts.

Official sources told Dawn that if adequate measures were not taken in time, bloodshed could hardly be prevented in some of the most sensitive constituencies.

Meanwhile, the AJK chief secretary, Sikandar Sultan Raja, has directed all deputy commissioners to impose Section 144 on carrying or display of firearms in the public.

The deputy commissioners should strictly ensure implementation of Section 144 and punitive action under the law against the violators, he said, warning that in case of report of inaction by the administration he would initiate disciplinary action against the deputy commissioner concerned.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2016