The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Wednesday wrote to Ministry of Interior for deployment of Rangers/Frontier Corps outside the Parliament and provincial assemblies on the occasion of Senate elections. The polling for 52 seats of Senate is scheduled to be held on March 3, and polling stations for it are established in the buildings of Parliament House and all four provincial assemblies.
The Election Commission said in its letter that it has decided to deploy sufficient strength of Pakistan Rangers/Frontier Corps outside the premises of Parliament and all provincial assemblies to conduct Senate elections peacefully and avoid any untoward incident on the polling day. The Commission has sought deployment of the paramilitary force under Article 220 and 245 of the Constitution.
Meanwhile, the ECP has directed all returning officers to ensure secrecy of the ballot during the Senate polls including cancellation of a ballot paper if a voter tries to take it out of the polling station. All returning officers have also been authorized powers of magistrate to deal with any untoward incident on the polling day, including powers of holding a summary trial of any voter, candidate or the polling agent.
The returning officers have been directed to ensure a single entrance to the polling stations for all the voters and there will be a strict ban on use of mobile phones in the polling stations.
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