HYDERABAD, Oct 6: The Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) has demanded of the government to declare Hyderabad and Latifabad as sensitive areas and hand over the control of these Talukas to the army, replace the polling staff of NA-219 (Latifabad), and hold elections in these areas under its supervision.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club on Sunday, the district president of the party, Younus Qadri, and organizer, Syed Kamran Pervez, said that the party was contesting the general elections from all six seats — two national and four provincial assembly seats — of Hyderabad and Latifabad. But some forces, a direct reference to the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), had unleashed a reign of terror against the party workers and supporters.

They alleged that these elements had declared some areas out of bounds for the PAT candidates.

They said more than 100 posters and banners of party candidates had been removed by the miscreants from Sarfaraz Colony, Dadan Shah, Tilak Incline, Hirabad, Millat-i-Islamiya Colony, and other areas at gunpoint.

They said that their opponents were openly displaying weapons to harass the workers as they had already read the writing on the wall.

They charged that the administration and the SHOs were working under the orders of their opponents.

They said that the presiding officers and polling staff of NA-219 were openly supporting the former director of education (colleges), who himself was a candidate from this constituency.

They demanded that the entire polling staff of this constituency should be changed and the elections in Hyderabad and Latifabad should be held under the direct supervision of the army.