ISLAMABAD, Aug 6: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice (retd) Irshad Hasan Khan on Friday authorized the returning officers to exercise powers of a first class magistrate in the conduct of by-polls in the National Assembly constituencies of NA-59 Attock-III and NA-229 Tharparker-I.

The CEC authorized these powers to district returning officers, returning officers and assistant returning officers appointed for the by-elections and the presiding officers appointed for each polling station of these constituencies.

The CEC authorized these powers under the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898 (Act V of 1998) on August 18, 2004, the day fixed for polling for by-elections in these constituencies, in respect of the offences punishable under section 80, section 82A, section 93, section 85, section 86 and sec-tion 87 of the said Act and to take cognizance of any such offence under any such offence in a summary way in accordance with the provisions of the said code, relating to summary trials. -APP