Forty thousand army troops have been deployed in Multan, Lodhran' Khanewal, Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Vehari, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh, Layyah, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Rahimyar Khan, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Sargodha and Khushab, which had been declared sensitive on the request of civil administrations in different districts of Punjab to maintain law and order during the local government elections today (Thursday).
Police personnel and polling staff completed the assignment of shifting polling material to 17,404 polling stations. Deputy Inspector General of Police Multan Malik Muhammad Iqbal said that over 2,000 polling stations in Multan, Lodhran, Khanewal, Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Vehari, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh, Layyah, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Rahimyar Khan, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Sargodha and Khushab had been declared sensitive.
According to the security plan, over 100,000 personnel from regular Punjab police and Additional Police Force would ensure smooth polling. The Additional Police Force has been raised from different government departments and civil population. The volunteers of Civil Defence Department and Forest Department guards have also been included in the Additional Police Force. These 'policemen' will get TA/DA for performing their duties during the elections.
Police contingents have been called from the police training schools and from those districts where elections are scheduled to be held later. Besides, reserve platoons of the Punjab Constabulary will be performing their duties on different polling stations.
SECURITY PLANS: "All 17 District Police Officers submitted the security plans for their respective districts and with the guidance of Central Police Office the strategies were finalised," AIG (Operation) Mian Asif told this scribe on phone on Thursday and added that additional vehicles required for patrolling were either acquired from other districts and police branches or obtained on rent.
Similarly, he pointed out that shortage of the wireless sets was also successfully met by asking the other districts and police branches to temporarily spare some of those on their disposal. 'However, police force has sufficient arms to deal with any emergency,' the AIG claimed.
Control rooms for monitoring minute-to-minute situation of the polling process have been set up in all the districts, while the DIGs of the police ranges concerned have also established similar control rooms at their offices. The main control room has been set up in the Operation Branch at the CPO in the provincial capital and all the control rooms will work under an eight-hour shift arrangement.
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