MIRPURKHAS, Oct 15: Sindh Election Commissioner Sono Khan Baloch has said that general elections will be held within 60 days after end of present assemblies tenure on March 18, 2013.

Speaking at a press conference after having chaired a meeting of district election officers at the circuit house here on Monday, Mr Baloch said that target for voters’ turnout had been fixed at between 65 and 70 per cent and in this connection electoral rolls had been improved and the number of polling stations was being increased.

Last year, he said, 13,600 polling stations had been set up in Sindh but this time the commission had planned to raise the number to 20,000.

A summary about an increase in the number of polling stations would soon be submitted to parliament for approval, he said.

Answering a question, he said the commission was making efforts to set up polling stations in easily accessible places and try to bring more voters to cast vote in a congenial environment.

Personnel of police, Rangers and military would be deployed at polling stations to ensure security of election staff and voters, he said.

He said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was observing a National Voters Day on Oct 17 to create awareness among people of importance of their vote in elections and a democratic process.

He said that a retired justice had been posted in each province to ensure transparency in elections. New ballot boxes had also been sought, he said.

Deputy election commissioners of Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Sanghar and Tharparkar, Chatto Khan, Ahmed Ali Halepoto, Pir Tanveer Haider and Syed Muslim Hussain informed the meeting about problems they faced in preparation of voters lists etc.

The ECP member from Sindh, retired Justice Muhammad Roshan Essani, regional election commissioner of Mirpurkhas, Noor Mohammad Mari and other officers also attended the meeting.