Publication date: 11-05-2013
The army has more than 75,000 troops deployed across the country to strengthen security for the general elections on Saturday.
A military official told Dawn that security cameras had installed if necessary. Armored personnel carriers (APCs) will be used in the most sensitive areas where and when needed and aerial surveillance of these areas also will be carried out. Army of the sniffer dogs have cleared for security duties.
He said army troops had since 19 April security provided to five printing presses where 180 million ballots had been printed. They transported 650 tonnes of ballot papers to the neighbourhoods concerned and their polling stations. Fifty Army helicopters flew for 347 hours for the transport of the ballot papers.
The official said 5,000 troops deployed in polling stations had been identified as the most sensitive and indicated that the number could be increased at night based on the assessment of the threat by civilian agencies in collaboration with the commanders of the army of the territories and other agencies.
Meanwhile, talking to reporters, Election Commission Secretary Ishtiak Ahmad Khan (ECP) said the army had also provided staff of bomb disposal unit as well as sniffer dogs. The army will install security cameras in sensitive places and APCs will be used to secure environment to the voters.
He said a waterproof system had put to make it impossible for someone to steal the polls, adding that there was no room for capturing polling stations and stamping ballots.
Ishtiak said guidelines had granted to presiding officers and other staff polling for the performance of their duties without fear or favor so that free, fair and transparent elections.
He said the presiding officers had to identify voters using electoral roll with photographs. The presiding officers have been given the powers of first class magistrate for three days and security personnel on duty are bound to obey their orders. He said the presiding officers and the law enforcement officers would face legal proceedings if not acting in accordance with the law.
The ECP Secretary said ballot boxes would be opened in the presence of polling agents and presiding officers were required to enter the results of their polling stations in a specified form and provide a copy to the polling agents.
The official results would be announced on Sunday evening.
With an efficient result management system in place, there was no room for change in the results during the transport of ballots of presiding officers to returning officers or in any other stadium, Ishtiak added.
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