HYDERABAD, Feb 17: Provincial Police Officer Azhar Ali Farooqui said on Sunday that police and personnel of other law enforcing agencies would disperse political activists if they gathered in close proximity of polling stations on Monday.

Speaking to journalists after chairing a meeting of police officers at Regional Police Office (RPO) Hyderabad Mr Farooqui said that people other than polling staff were not authorised to remain present within 400 yards of polling stations.

He said that the government had taken seriously Asif Ali Zardari’s statement, urging Pakistan People’s Party workers to gather outside polling stations till results were announced.

He feared it would also encourage activists of other political parties to do the same and was likely to lead to disturbance. “But we and personnel of other law enforcing agencies will not let this happen,” he warned.

He said that police were ready to deal with violence in case it broke out in the wake of announcement of election results. Police force had been told that next 48 hours were very crucial, he said, adding that army troops would remain on stand-by in each taluka and district.

He said that out of 5,707 polling stations of Hyderabad region, 925 had been declared as highly sensitive and 1,790 as sensitive while in the entire province, 2,600 polling stations of 13,405 had been declared as highly sensitive and 4,500 sensitive.

He said that a total of 50,000 personnel of police would be deployed in the province, in addition to rangers and police would continue mobile patrolling in complete riot gear.

The PPO clarified that the transporters whose vehicles had been impounded would get payment for their vehicles. “In past police used to impound them without making any payment,” he said.

He avoided disclosure of troubled spots in the province where disturbances were more likely to occur, saying police had identified the areas. Police were vigilant at all times because saboteurs and terrorists target crowds of people outside polling stations, he said.

He said that police or any member of law enforcing agencies would not enter the polling station area. They would enter only after the polling staff sought their help, he said.

Mr Farooqui stressed that police had not received any specific threat about any targets by suicide bombers or terrorists and refused to share details of police strategy against violence but warned that nobody would be allowed to take law in his hands.