LAHORE, Feb 12: Returning Officers (ROs) have started issuing arrest warrants for teachers reluctant to report for election duty in the province for the Feb 18 elections, senior Punjab Election Commission officials told Dawn on Tuesday.

“Hundreds of teachers, mostly women, from across the province have not reported for the election duty so far,” a senior official said.

He said the ROs had started issuing bailable warrants against such teachers to force them to join the polling duty. He said that most of such teachers hadn’t even reported for related training to handle work on the polling day.

The teachers, especially women, are unwilling to do election work because of various reasons — suicide bombings and the worsening law and order situation.

“The sense of insecurity and fears of possible terror attacks are keeping the teachers from reporting for duty,” the election commission official said.

About two-thirds of around 27,000 government officials called for election duty in Punjab are male and female school and college teachers. The remaining staff included officials from the health, food and other government departments.

Provincial Election Commissioner Ayaz Beg told Dawn that the ROs had powers to issue warrants to force the ‘truant teachers’ to report for poll duties. “They are avoiding national cause by not joining the duty.”