Holiday announced in THESE Karachi areas

KARACHI: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has declared a public holiday in a few districts of Karachi to administrate the upcoming Local Government (LG) by-elections, ARY News reported.

The Deputy Commissioners of various districts of Karachi have announced a holiday to facilitate voter participation.

According to reports, the Deputy Commissioner of Karachi’s District South declared a holiday in UC 13. The notification was issued following the directives of the Election Commission of Sindh, aimed at ensuring smooth electoral proceedings and enabling voters to cast their votes conveniently.

In addition, a holiday has been declared in Korangi district, as per a notification from the Deputy Commissioner of Korangi. Elections in this district will be held across three local government constituencies on Thursday. The holiday was announced to provide ease and access to voters during the election process.

Similarly, in Keamari district, the administration has followed suit, declaring a holiday to accommodate the by-election activities. Moreover, in West District, the Deputy Commissioner and District Returning Officer have announced a holiday for UC 5 Yousuf Goth, Manghopir Town, to facilitate the voters.

Earlier, authorities identified 213 polling stations as highly sensitive throughout the province for the 14 Nov by-elections.

A detailed security assessment has been conducted for the by-elections in Karachi, marking 136 polling stations as highly sensitive, 26 as sensitive, and only 5 as normal.

In key areas of Karachi, the polling stations in UC 9 TMC Malir, established for the Chairman’s election, have been declared highly sensitive. Similarly, in UC 7 TMC Model Colony, all 21 polling stations for the Chairman’s election are considered sensitive.

In UC 13 TMC Saddar, out of 17 polling stations, 7 are highly sensitive, 5 are sensitive, and 5 are normal. All 31 polling stations in UC 7 TMC Liaquatabad are classified as highly sensitive.

The ECP has indicated that no requests have been made by district returning officers for the deployment of Rangers in the by-elections. However, strict security measures are in place to ensure safe and secure by-polls. CCTV cameras will be installed at highly sensitive stations, with 16 to 18 police officers deployed at each. Sensitive stations will have between 8 and 12 officers stationed.

Out of the 77 vacant local seats in Sindh, 40 have already been filled unopposed. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) secured 38 of these seats without contest, while the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) and one independent candidate were also elected unopposed. In total, 175 candidates are vying for 33 seats in various categories of by-elections. Notably, 4 seats remain uncontested as no candidates submitted their nomination papers.

The by-elections in Karachi will cover 10 seats, with preparations and security arrangements aiming to ensure a smooth and fair electoral process across the city.