RAWALPINDI: In Rawalpindi district, 96 polling stations have been declared sensitive and army and Rangers personnel will be deployed at these polling stations.

District Coordination Officer (DCO) Sajid Zafar Dall told Dawn that 1,771 polling stations have been set up for the local government elections, to be held in the district on December 5.

“As many as 96 polling stations have been declared highly sensitive, and 350 polling stations are labeled ‘A’, while the remaining stations are in the ‘B’ category,” he said.

Mr Dall said that the chances of a political clash were high at ‘sensitive’ polling stations, but comparatively lower at A and B level polling stations based on previous elections.

He said the local administration will also make arrangements to install CCTV cameras at sensitive stations and video recording will be held at ‘A’ and ‘B’ level stations. He said a control room will also be established at the district courts, and extra police personnel will also be deployed at the ‘sensitive’ stations.

Separately, returning officers complained to the DCO about the shortage of 250 women for polling day duties at various stations, and said that the education and population welfare departments deliberately did not provide staff.

“The Directorate of Colleges and the Population Welfare Department hid the list of its staff to avoid the deployment of staff members at polling stations, especially women staff members,” a returning officer said during a meeting chaired by the DCO.

Mr Dall asked for a list of employees working at the institutions and certificates stating that they provided all their staff for election duties.

Mr Dall also asked the returning officers to visit each polling station to check that the space was suitable, and said that security would be provided at each station. He said the law enforcement agencies were designing a security plan for the election day.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2015