Daily Times

Rawalpindi district administration and police have finalized all the arrangements including security to maintain peace during by-elections in PP-7, Kahuta and Kallar Syedan.

According to a district administration spokesman, display of weapons, aerial firing and use of loudspeakers were prohibited and strict legal action would be taken against any violation.

The spokesman informed that ECP had directed the political parties and candidates of PP-7 to stop the election campaign after midnight on July 15, as polling would be held for the by-elections on July 17.

In a letter, the district monitoring officer warned that strict action would be taken against any candidate or political party found to be continuing the campaign after the specified time.

He said that no rally, public meeting and door-to-door campaign would be allowed after ending of the campaign period.

Foolproof security arrangements have been finalized for the constituency as over 4,000 police officers and personnel including over 600 women police personnel would be deployed for 266 polling stations.

According to the security plan finalized for by-polls, City Police Officer, Rawalpindi, Syed Shehzad Nadeem Bukhari, Senior Superintendent of Police Investigation, Ghazanfar Ali Shah, SSP Operations Waseem Riaz Khan and senior officers would remain present in the field to check duties of police personnel.

Male and female Police personnel would be deployed at 36 male, 35 female and 195 polling stations which would be common for both male and female voters.

The spokesman informed that 102 officers and personnel of City Traffic Police would also be deployed to regulate traffic in the constituency.

37 quick response teams of Elite Commandos would perform duty to maintain law and order and deal with any untoward incident.

The spokesman said that 133 motorcycles and eight vehicles had also been provided to the security teams while 53 police mobiles would also be on patrolling duties in the constituency on the polling day. 28 police pickets had also been set up in the constituency, he added.

He said special security arrangements had been made for 76 sensitive police stations, while the constituency had been divided into two zones, five sectors and 15 sub-sectors to maintain law and order and added that the implementation of the code of conduct issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan would be ensured at all cost.

The spokesman informed that Regional Police Officer (RPO) Rawalpindi Region, Imran Ahmar and City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi Syed Shehzad Nadeem Bukhari had reviewed the security arrangements finalized for the by-elections.

The RPO directed the officers to take effective measures to ensure implementation of election code of conduct and rules and regulations.

Imran Ahmar said that implementation of the code of conduct issued by the ECP would be ensured at all costs and no one would be allowed to violate the law.

All the senior officers would remain present in the field to monitor the situation and the police personnel deployed in the field would also be briefed and directed to keep a close eye on the activities of the miscreants, he added.

The CPO said that police while performing alert duties before the by-elections, should keep a vigilant eye on the activities of suspicious persons. All-out efforts should be made to ensure implementation of code of conduct during and after polling hours, he added.

He also visited the control room set up at Kahuta Police Station to monitor the by-elections instructed the officers concerned to ensure coordination and monitoring of the constituency.

The location mapping facility has been provided in the control room which would be used to check the location of the election material and results delivery staff.

CPO Nadeem Bukhari also accompanied Deputy Commissioner, Rawalpindi Tahir Farooq to visit the control room of the district administration.

He said that strict action in accordance with the law would be taken against the violators of the code of conduct issued by the ECP.