PTI demands ECP to reschedule NA-249 by-poll, deploy military personnel in constituency

(Karachi) The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has demanded of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to reschedule the NA-249 by-poll and deploy armed forces personnel in the constituency, local media reported on Thursday.

As per details, a PTI delegation headed by Khurrum Sher Zaman submitted a written plea to the provincial election commissioner demanding to change the polling date for the NA-249 by-polls besides also deploying armed forces.

Speaking to media persons, PTI Karachi chief Khurrum Sher Zaman said that they approached the ECP to reschedule the polling in the constituency.

He further said that they have demanded military deployment in the constituency and cited recent violent incidents in Baldia after the arrest of the TLP chief. “The military deployment should be ensured inside and outside the polling stations,” he said.

“It is the responsibility of the ECP to hold free and fair polls as we do not want a repeat of the Daska-like situation,” he said.

Earlier, the ECP issued a polling scheme for the by-poll in NA-249. All polling stations in the constituency have been declared sensitive or highly sensitive.

There would be 276 polling stations, out of which 76 would be for men, 61 for women, and 139 for both. These polling stations will have 796 polling booths- 458 for men and 338 for women. Of them, 209 polling stations are sensitive and 67 are highly sensitive.

The total number of voters in NA-249 is 339,591 out of which 216,566 are males and 137,935 are females. As many as 2,144 election officials will be performing their duties on the day of the by-poll. These include 276 presiding officers and 796 assistant presiding officers, 796 polling officers, and 276 naib qasids.