All set for first phase of LG polls in AJK on Sunday

MUZAFFARABAD, Nov 25 (APP): All arrangements have been finalized to conduct the first phase of local government elections in Muzaffarabad division of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Sunday. This was said by Commissioner Masood ur Rehman and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) police Irfan Masood Kashfi during a joint presser here on Friday.

The election commission had decided a week earlier to conduct LG polls in three phases due to the unavailability of additional security personnel from the federal government. Polling in Muzaffarabad division is going to be held on November 27 (Sunday) while in Poonch division on December 03 and in Mirpur division on December 08.

The commissioner said the polling staff had been trained and assigned the duties at their respective polling stations in three districts of the division while peace and coordination committees had been constituted at each polling station comprising local people and government officials to maintain harmony during the polling.

He said 7,785 polling staff had been deputed on 1,323 polling stations in all three districts and polling material had been transported safely at the offices of returning and assistant returning officers from where will be handed over to staff on Saturday evening or Sunday morning.

He said the presiding officers had been empowered with magisterial powers to peacefully conduct the polling and implement the code of conduct issued by election commission under election laws and criminal procedure code (Cr.PC) and authorized for a summary trail.

He said any violation of code of conduct by any candidate or supporter of candidate could disqualify a candidate even after the election and called the administration and polling staff to strictly implement the code of conduct.

The DIG said all security arrangement had been made final with scheme of deployment according to category of the polling stations, besides quick response force at each sector and routine patrolling and policing by the police force.

He said more thousand troops will be deployed at polling stations besides the army would be ready to respond at any untoward situation.

He said the area had been divided into 13 zones and 125 sectors with a SP rank officer as commander at Zone and DSP rank as commander at sector.