2,185 miscreants arrested ahead of polls, Sindh CM told

KARACHI: Inspector General Sindh Police Amjad Javed Saleemi on Tuesday told Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Fazal-ur-Rehman that there was zero tolerance for miscreants and those who were trying to disrupt electioneering process.

“Police have arrested 2,185 trouble makers so far and this intolerance would further aggravate if any one tried to take law into his hands,” he said.

This was told in a high-level meeting chaired by the CM held here at the CM House to review the arrangements and facilities being made at the polling stations.

The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Major (retd) Azam Suleman, the IG police, senior member Board of Revenue (BoR) Iqbal Durani, Principal Secretary to CM Sohail Rajput and Secretary Home Mohammad Haroon.

The chief secretary in his briefing said that on the instructions of the caretaker CM he along with the IGP, the senior member BoR and home secretary visited almost all the districts and all the most sensitive and improvised polling stations and made all the necessary arrangements as per requirement of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

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He said that there were 5,673 most sensitive polling station all over Sindh in which 20,165 booths had been set up.

“As per decision of the cabinet CCTV cameras have been installed there,” he said and added that overall 21,000 cameras installed at polling stations have been tested for smooth and sound functioning. He said they were working perfectly.

Talking about 307 improvised polling stations, Azam Suleman said that they had been provided mobile washroom facilities, generators, UPS, LEDs and such other facilities. Brushing aside the impression of lack of facilities of water at polling station, he said that the arrangements of water, refreshment and such other facilities were more than enough at all polling stations.

He also said that the transport arrangements had also been made to transport polling staff and election material to the polling stations. Divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners were giving full support to the process of holding free, fair and transparent election.

All the polling stations, polling staff and their supporting staff have been provided best security and these security arrangements would be continued till the staff is returned to their respective homes, the CM was told.

Fazl directed the district administration and police to remain vigilant and alert all over Sindh.

“I am quite happy that we have made best arrangements and Insh Allah everything would go best till the new government is elected,” he said.