ATTOCK, Oct 4: About 260 polling stations in the district have been declared sensitive and the administration and police have been asked to take extra security measures on these polling stations to ensure smooth and peaceful voting, an election official told Dawn on Friday.

He said the District and tehsil Nazmeen and other government officials had been barred from entering the polling stations without permission on the election day.

Briefing about the election arrangements, the district returning officer, Manzoor Hussain Malik, said all steps had been taken to hold “free, fair and transparent elections”.

He said the code of conduct and the chief election commissioner’s orders would be strictly implemented which prohibits any government employee, including Nazmeen, at all levels to misuse their position or to influence the results of the elections.

The DRO warned that action would be taken against all irrespective of their affiliation and status and proceeded against for violation of the rules and for creating any hurdle in polling process.

For this purpose special magistracy powers would be given to all presiding officers on October 10; the ROs and assistant retuning officers would visit all the polling stations to supervise and monitor the process, he added.

The DRO said the District had total 749,184 registered voters, including 353,030 women, out of the total population of 1,274,973. About 1,801 polling booths would be set up at the 770 polling stations in NA-57, NA-58, NA-59, PP-15, PP-16, PP-17, PP-18 and PP-19 where 6,000 trained polling staff would be deputed.

He said the election material had been received from the EC, which would be handed over to the presiding officers on October 9.

Mr Malik said 1,817 postal ballot papers were dispatched to the voters against 2,653 applications while 836 applications were rejected due to errors.

Clarifying the impressions about some irregularities in issuance of postal ballot papers, the official said not a single ballot paper had been delivered to any applicant, person or head of department by hand.

He said special security and other facilities would be provided to the European Union observers and journalists on the election day so that they could monitor the polling process conveniently and in this connection special entry passes will be issued to them.

He also urged the candidates, the voters, and journalists to help the election staff in holding free, fair and transparent elections, if they found any irregularity or misconduct in the process, it should be immediately brought to his or the respective ROs notice.