RAWALPINDI: Election monitoring cell and control room for Rawalpindi district will be functional in Sports Complex Liaquat Bagh from January 1 after completing the process of scrutiny of the nomination papers by Dec 30.

District Returning Officer who is also Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema on Thursday asked the local administration and local police to complete the arrangements to make the control room functional by Jan 1. Talking to Dawn, Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema saidthe district administration had decided to establish the control room at Sports Complex Liaquat Bagh as it was spacious and more vehicles could be parked in the area and situated on Murree Road.

He said that election monitoring cell and the control room would monitor sensitive and highly sensitive polling stations, and Close Circuit TV Cameras would be installed in this regard.

“Though the police and special branch is working on the preparation of the list of the sensitive and highly sensitive polling stations, the rough estimates made by the district intelligence committee in this regard,” he said.

He said that in the control room, Islamabad Electric Supply Company , Sui Northern Gas Pipelines, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), Wasa and other civic bodies’ teams would be deployed round the clock to deal with emergency situation.

Apart from this, he said that administration, election staff and local police would also establish their offices till the polling day. He said that the basic aim of this to coordinate with all the government department during elections.

Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema said that the district administration will provide unconditional support to the Election Commission to ensure transparent general elections.

He further said that the transparent election is indispensable for the prosperity and development of our country. It is the only way to ensure strengthening of democracy. He said that assistant commissioners had been directed to conduct survey of the expected schools and check whether they could be made polling stations or not.

There are a total 3,307,083 voters in the district including 1,703,511 male voters and 1,603,572 female voters.

Under new delimitations, Rawalpindi district had six constituencies of National Assembly and 13 seats of Provincial Assembly while one seat each of national and provincial assembly for Murree district.

As many as 2,559 polling stations will be established in the district including 663 combined polling stations, 938 for female and 950 for male voters. More than 24,000 government officials from 84 government departments will perform duties in the elections in six national and 13 provincial assembly constituencies.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2023