QUETTA, July 8: The Election Commission has completed arrangements for by-election on Saturday for the Balochistan Assembly seat in Qila Abdullah. The authorities have declared many polling stations sensitive and deployed army and Frontier Corps personnel with police and levies in the area. The seat, PB-12, Qila Abdullah-2, fell vacant after the Supreme Court declared the election of Nasim Ahmed Taryalai of the Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party void, accepting an election petition of Malik Ghulam Sarwar Piralizai of the Awami National Party.

Mr Piralizai, Abdul Qahar Wadan of the PMAP, Syed Abdul Rehman Agha of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, Lala Jan Achakzai of the Pakistan Muslim League and independent candidate Mohammad Younus Kakar are in the run for the seat.

The Election Commission has set up 47 polling stations with 139 polling booths. The number of registered voters in the constituency is 76,174. Army is reported taken control of the area and the district administration has banned carrying of weapons.