KARACHI, Aug 17: All is set for crucial by-elections today in two National Assembly constituencies, one in Punjab and the other in Sindh, which Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz hopes to win to become the country's next prime minister.

Violence and acrimonious exchanges have been the hallmark of the election campaign in which Mr Aziz escaped a terrorist attack on his life while three activists of the opposition Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians were gunned down and the government was accused of pre-poll rigging.

In both the constituencies, NA-59 (Attock) and NA-229 (Tharparkar), Mr Aziz's challengers are being supported by all the opposition parties. A local holiday has been declared in both the constituency on Wednesday.

The NA-59 has been vacated for Mr Aziz by Eman Wasim, daughter of a sister of Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain. The opposition ARD has fielded Dr Sikandar Hayat who is a Khattak, who are said to have a big influence in the area.

In NA-29 Tharparkar, Mr Aziz is confronted by Mahesh Mallani. According to reports from Mitthi, the entire Tharparkar district has been placed under a massive security blanket by the Sindh government and all the 220 polling stations have been declared 'sensitive' by the provincial election commission. Reports gathered by Dawn revealed that initially only 47 polling stations had been declared sensitive.

Around 1,402 polling staff, including women, have been sent to the polling stations. The total number of registered voters is 251,579, with 138,975 male and 112,604 female voters.

It was learnt that the District Returning Officer, Mitthi, in his meeting with Additional Home Secretary had stressed the need for the deployment of army. He was, however, said that if the need arose the army would be deployed.

DIG operations, Hyderabad, Mazhar Ali Sheikh told Dawn that Rangers would also be deployed along with police. Arbab Zakaullah, maternal nephew of Sindh chief minister is the chief polling agent of Mr Aziz whereas PPP Sindh chief Nisar Khuhro is the chief polling agent of Mr Mallani.

PPP has nominated its senators, MNAs/MPAs and party office-bearers at all the 220 polling stations. Arbab Zakaullah said that polling agents of his candidate were local residents.

The polling would begin at 8am and would continue till 5pm without break. The HRCP would monitor the elections under the supervision of its former chairperson, Asma Jehangir.

The poll-related activities took an ugly turn on Tuesday when police withdrew the gunman provided to the leader of the opposition in Sindh Assembly, Mr Nisar Khuhro, when he arrived in Mitthi.

Mr Khuhro was driving his vehicle along with PPP MPA Rafiq Jamali, Shah Muhammad Shah and others when he was intercepted at the main entrance of Mitthi by DSP Mitthi Abid Kaim Khani, asking him to prove the identity of his gunman.

The DSP objected that the gunman was in civvies and carrying weapons despite the fact that Section 144 had been imposed in the district. He said that his credentials were needed to be verified.

Mr Khuhro told Dawn he had been in detention for three hours. "I have been ambushed by police here", he told a group of newsmen and said that he was stopped on three different points while travelling to Mitthi.

Since he refused to go back, DPO Mitthi Zulfikar Larik arrived there and told him that the gunman had been withdrawn. He said that if the gunman did not go with him he would face action under Police Order 2002. The DPO said that the provision of the gunman was a prerogative that could be withdrawn by the government.

"You are insulting me," Mr Khuhro told the DPO who asserted that he was ready to give in writing that the escort would be provided to him (Mr Khuhro). Mr Khuhro castigated the government for the treatment meted out to him.

He said the gunman had been provided by the government in his capacity as the leader of opposition. "Our three party activists have been gunned down in Attock and under these circumstances I feel insecure. Who is responsible for my security," he argued.

Mr Khuhro also said that the Returning Officer had not provided his candidate final lists of polling stations, raising doubts that eleventh hour changes could be made. When asked whether his party would opt for an eleventh hour boycott, he categorically ruled out any such possibility.