PESHAWAR: Five candidates are in the run for by-polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly constituency PK-71, Peshawar-VI, for which polling will be held on Sunday (today) at 86 polling stations.

The constituency has a total of 133,461 registered voters including 79,846 men and 53,615 women. The Election Commission of Pakistan has finalised all the arrangements and election material has been handed over to the presiding officers concerned.

A total of 307 polling booths including 118 for men and 119 for women voters have been set up in the provincial assembly constituency for the by-polls.

Main contest expected between candidates of PTI and ANP

The main contest is expected between PTI candidate Zulfiqar Khan and ANP’s Salahuddin. Three independent candidates Dildar Khan, Abdul kareem Khan and Fazle Haq Kohe Damani are also trying their luck in the polls.

The seat fell vacant after the winner in the July 25 general elections, Shah Farman, resigned as he became the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor.

In the general elections, Shah Farman had contested on two seats including PK-71 and PK-74. He had lost on PK-74, but won PK-71. He had received 17,309 votes whereas the runner-up Siffatullah of PML-N had received 9,202 votes.

PTI candidate Zulfiqar Khan is the brother of Governor Shah Farman.

The local police have declared 51 of the 86 polling stations highly sensitive because these are situated close to the former tribal areas.

SSP Operation Javed Iqbal Marwat told journalists that a total of 1,900 police personnel were deputed for election duty including 80 women personnel. He said that 500 personnel would remain standby at the police lines and could be deputed in case of any emergency. He added that eight to 10 personnel were deputed at each of the polling station.

Mr Marwat said that 30 checkpoints were been set up in the sensitive areas.

The ECP has already notified that personnel of army and civil armed forces shall be deployed inside and outside all the polling stations from Oct 19 till Oct 22.

The commission has empowered designated officers of army and civil armed forces to act as magistrate of the first class for entire duration of their deployment in respect of offences punishable under Section 169 and 171 of the Elections Act, 2017.

Similarly, the district returning officers and the returning officers have also been assigned powers of the magistrate first class in relation to the said two categories of offences.

The ECP has also issued a code of conduct for the security personnel deployed for election duty. The security personnel have been directed not to assume the duty of polling staff in any case; and not to take into his/ her custody any election material including ballot papers, electoral rolls, ballot boxes, etc and, not to interfere in any manner whatsoever in the function of presiding officer, assistant presiding officer or polling officer.

The ECP has also ordered that army and civil armed forces should deploy sufficient number of mobile vigilance teams/quick reaction force as part of an integrated security mechanism, to provide secure environment.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2018