GWADAR: Amid tight security, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has completed all arrangements for holding the by-election on Balochistan Assembly’s seat PB-47 in Kech district, which will be held on Thursday (today).

The seat had fallen vacant after the ECP declared the result of July 25 election null and void after opponents challenged election of winner Mir Rauf Rind of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), who is a dual national.

An official of ECP Balochistan said that the election material had been distributed to the staff in Kech district. “Election material to Dasht and Mand areas was distributed on Tuesday while ballot papers, boxes and other material for city areas have been dispatched,” the official said.

More than 56,472 registered voters —31,417 male and 25,055 female — will cast their vote for the PB-47 seat.

Returning Officer (RO) Abdul Waheed Baloch said that Frontier Corps and the district police had been deployed at polling stations to tackle any untoward situation.

As many as 12 candidates are contesting the by-polls on PB-47 (Kech-III), including BAP’s Lala Rasheed, Balochistan National Party-Mengal’s (BNP-M) retired Major Jameel Dashti and National Party’s (NP) Fida Hussain Dashti.

RO Waheed Baloch said that 60 polling stations had been established in PB-47’s constituency. “To ensure fairness in elections, we remained in contact with all candidates and finalised polling stations following their suggestions,” he said.

BNP President Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal, former chief minister and NP President Dr Malik Baloch, BAP’s Zahoor Buledi, and federal minister Zubaida Jalal led the election campaigns for their respective candidates in Turbat and Kech.

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2018