LAHORE, Oct 6: Acting Chief Election Commissioner Justice Abdul Hamid Dogar expressed satisfaction over arrangements for the third phase of local elections after an inspection of four out of nine polling stations set up in the city district on Thursday.

The CEC, who had arrived here on the first leg of his tour of four provinces said the arrangements were excellent as no candidate had complained against them.

The CEC inspected four of nine polling stations set up in the city district here for election of district and town nazims and naib nazims and reserved seats for women, minorities, workers and peasants.

He told journalists during the inspection of the Government College of Science, Wahdat Road, polling station that the government would not allow any candidate to influence the electoral process and take stern action against those violating the law without any discrimination.

He directed the polling staff to discharge duties honestly and expressed the hope that the electoral process would be completed peacefully with the cooperation of the people.

The polling station at the Aisha Siddiqa Girls College, Timber Market, Ravi Road, for the Ravi Town councillors was the first to be visited by the CEC at around 9am. Only nine votes had been cast and some councillors were waiting for their turn to cast vote.

Responding to the complaint of Chaudhry Wahid of Shahdara, the CEC directed the polling staff to offer chairs to the councillors and do not keep them waiting for long.

The CEC then visited polling station set up for Data Ganj Bakhsh Town councillors at the Central Model School, Rattigan Road. Only five votes had been cast and former town nazim Khwaja Ahmad Hassaan and ruling party candidate Tariq Sana Bajwa were present there along with their supporters.

The third polling station inspected by the CEC had been set up at the Government College of Science, Wahdat Road, for the Samanabad Town councillors. More than 30 votes had been cast and ruling party candidate Mian Javed Ali was present there.