HYDERABAD, April 2: Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Hyderabad Haseeb Afzal Baig has said that 192 of the 790 polling stations of the district have been declared highly sensitive and another 200 sensitive in the upcoming general elections.

The police officer said 13 policemen each would be deployed at the highly sensitive polling stations while eight policemen each at the sensitive polling stations and five at each polling station throughout the district.

Talking to Dawn in his office on Tuesday, he said that he had two missions: to maintain the law and order and to reduce crime rate.

He said he had set up a Rapid Response Force (RRF) for the city recently, adding that the district police would chalk out a security plan ahead of general elections for which 5,000 additional police personnel had been sought from the authorities concerned for election duty besides around 3,000 policemen of the Hyderabad district.

He said 10 per cent of the policemen were on leave due to certain reasons, including illness and others.

He said the RRF included 25 motorbikes with 50 policemen and two police mobiles. Two pairs of policemen riding two separate bikes would be deployed at police stations with a view to combat crime.

He said he would increase another 25 motorbikes in the RRF within 10 days. This force would keep patrolling the area to keep an eye on criminal elements.

“We have also revived 15 police helpline which will ensure response within a couple of minutes. I have been monitoring it and check the record of the helpline on daily basis while the control room set up in my office is also checking timings of complaints and responses in this regard,” he said, adding that each and every SHO of police stations had been instructed to give performance within three-four weeks. If the SHO failed to perform well, he would be removed, he said.

He said the district police was focusing on the forthcoming polls.

Our Shikarpur correspondent adds: Mir Allah Dino alias Mir Babal Khan Bhayo, a PPP candidate for PS-12 Khanpur, has expressed apprehension of bloody clashes at 18 sensitive polling stations of the constituency of PS-12 in Khanpur situated in katcha areas.

Speaking at a press conference here on Tuesday, he has appealed to the chief election commissioner of Pakistan, care-taker prime minister, chief justice and the chief of army staff to take extra care of the 18 polling stations to facilitate fair and transparent elections there.

He also accused NPP candidate Mir Abid Hussain Jatoi of producing a fake degree in the 2008 election, adding that in the recently submitted property details to the election commission, he had not shown the Bungalow purchased by him at a cost of Rs40 million in the name of his son Naeem Khan Jatoi in Defence Phase-V, Karachi.He said Abid Hussain Jatoi was also involved in getting his agricultural loan of Rs2.7 million waived from Zarai Bank of Shikarpur when he was a minister and nominated in a criminal case lodged at Rustam Police station.

He asked the election authorities to disqualify his opponent because of election rules violation.

On the occasion, notable of the village of Fareed Khan Mukdum Ali Bux Jatoi and four NPP local leaders of Taluka Khanpur, including Ghulam Rasool Brohi, Zulfiqar Brohi, Hisamuddin Brohi and Muhammad Saleh Brohi, joined the PPP and expressed their confidence in the leadership of district PPP president Mir Allah Dino.