Declaring 1,791 locations as `extremely' sensitive ahead of third and final phase of local government elections in Karachi, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has requested deployment of army at some polling stations due to security reasons. Presiding over a meeting held here on Saturday to review arrangements for the third phase of local government polls, Secretary ECP Babar Yaqoob said that some of the federal institutions are not co-operating with regard to local government elections.
The meeting was attended by Provincial Election Commissioner Tanveer Zaki, Sindh Chief Secretary Siddique Memon, Interior Secretary and other senior official. Secretary ECP said that the commission has requested the deployment of 7,400 army soldiers for the local government in Karachi. Moreover, all the arms licenses will be cancelled a day before the polls, he added. Yaqoob said that there are 1791 highly sensitive, 2116 sensitive and 224 normal polling stations in Karachi. Sensitive areas include Lines Area, Shah Faisal, Landhi, Khokhrapar, Gulistan-e-Johar, Ghas Mandi and Mehmoodabad. He said that seven policemen will be deputed at highly sensitive polling stations, six on sensitive and five at normal polling stations. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) on Thursday strongly demanded deployment of army personnel inside and outside the polling stations in third phase of local government elections in Karachi.