TIMERGARA:  Ninety-one polling stations out of a total of 308 have been declared most sensitive while 119 sensitive for the May 11 elections on the one national and four provincial assembly seats in the Lower Dir district, official sources told reporters on Monday.

The sources said categorisation of the polling stations as most sensitive and sensitive was necessitated by the existing law and order situation.

The sources said in PK-94, eight polling stations have been declared most sensitive while 42 sensitive. In PK-95, 33 have been declared most sensitive and 42 sensitive, while in PK-96, 27 polling stations have been declared most sensitive and 26 sensitive.

Similarly, in PK-97, 23 polling stations have been declared most sensitive while eight sensitive, the sources said. The election candidates and political parties have been asked to limit their campaigns to corner meetings and avoid big public gatherings.

PRISONERS’ VOTE: The local officials of the election commission are busy arranging vote facility for 412 male and female prisoners of the Timergara jail.

Sources said for the first time the jail inmates would use their right to vote for candidates of their choice.

Sources said the ECP had issued special directives in this regard.

SWABI: Police and officers of the election commission here have declared 256 of the total 556 polling stations in the district sensitive, officials told Dawn.

They said that there would be 299 polling stations for male voters, 239 for female voters and the remaining 18 would be shared by male and female voters in May 11 election.

The sources said that 18 joint polling stations had been established in those areas where it was not possible for the commission to provide adequate separate facility to female voters. However, they said that none of the

voters would face difficulty and approach of people, especially female voters, to the polling stations would be made easy.

They said that according to the 1998 census the population of Swabi district was 1.33 million, including 0.66 million females. However, observers here said that the district’s population had already crossed the 1.8 million mark.

When contacted, superintendent of police Mian Mohammad Saeed said that they had concluded discussion about security of polling stations. He said that the number of most sensitive polling stations was 53, sensitive 203 and normal 300.

“We will ensure peaceful holding of election in the district and it is our responsibility,” the SP said and added that they had been monitoring the entire election campaign from security point of view.

It has been learnt that the most sensitive polling stations are mainly located in Razaar tehsil, which is considered a strong area of the Awami National Party.