KARACHI: The home ministry has declared more than half of around 4,000 polling stations in Sukkur and Larkana divisions ‘sensitive’ where the local government elections will be held by the end of this month, it emerged on Thursday.

Officials in the Sindh government said 998 of the 1,733 polling stations in Sukkur were ‘sensitive’. They added that 463 of the 998 had been declared ‘most sensitive’.

Similarly, out of 2,224 polling stations in Larkana division, 1,249 were sensitive, which included 402 ‘most sensitive’ polling stations, the officials said.

The government planned to deploy more than 26,500 policemen —14,696 in Larkana and 11,850 in Sukkur division— in the two divisions during the election process.

Nearly 20,000 policemen, the officials said, would be deployed at the polling stations, which were declared most sensitive and sensitive. However, they said, they were facing a shortfall of more than 9,000 policemen in the two districts, i.e., 6,425 policemen in Sukkur and 8,660 in Larkana, for which various sources would be utilised. “We will meet the shortfall through recruits from training centres and policemen from other ranges and units,” said a senior official.

He said more than Rs80 million would be required to ensure security during the polling process in the two ranges.

The official elaborated that around Rs34 million would be required for Sukkur and Rs48 million for Larkana division.

Apart from the police, the Rangers would play a crucial role in cementing security measures during the local government elections, said Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah in a recent statement.

Sources said the provincial government had received reports vis-a-vis general and specific threat perceptions in various parts of the two divisions.

They particularly mentioned activities of the banned organisations which have been active under new names. “Such organisations are to be checked following those reports and we are doing it,” said a source.

He said Shikarpur, Khairpur and Qamber-Shahdadkot districts had been identified as hugely vulnerable during the first phase of the LG polls, thus special security arrangements were being made to ensure the entire process was held peacefully.

“Despite all resource constraints and deficient manpower,” said a senior official, “we are confident that better security arrangements will be in place to ensure peaceful LG elections.”

The officials said security was the key factor that led to the cancellation of local government elections several times in 2013 and afterwards, but the situation had improved a great deal over the past years. “We have made huge gains during the two years in which operations against criminals and militants changed the overall scenario, leaving no excuse for the government to further delay LG elections,” said a senior official.

Similar arrangements were being made for the next two phases of the local government polls in Hyder­abad, Mirpurkhas, Benazir­abad and Karachi divisions, he said.

Eight councillors return unopposed in Karachi South district

Eight councillors of different union committees in Karachi’s South district returned unopposed while the union committee seats in four wards stand vacant after all the nominations filed for the seats were rejected on technical grounds, reliable sources said.

The four wards are namely UC-8 Shahbaig Lane Ward-4, UC-14 Kalakot Ward-4, UC 19 Garden Ward-3 and UC-20 Millat Nagar Ward-3.

In South district, a total of 212 nominations were accepted while 10 nominations were rejected.

The eight seats on which candidates returned unopposed in the South district are: UC-2 New Kalri Hingorabad Ward-4, UC-4 Nawabad Ward-3 & -4, UC-5 Khadda Memon Society Ward-3, UC-6 Moosa Lane Ward-1, UC-7 Baghdadi Ward-2, UC-11 Rangiwara Ward-3, UC-12 Singolane Ward-3, UC-13 Rexer Lane Ward-1 & -3, UC-14 Kalakot Ward-3, UC-16 Old Haji Camp Ward-4 and UC 21 Gazdarabad Ward-3.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play