Election 2024: CCTV to be installed at ‘highly sensitive’ polling stations

LAHORE: As general elections 2024 inching closer, the Punjab government has decided to install CCTV cameras at every booth of highly sensitive polling stations across the province, ARY News reported on Monday.

According to details, the decision was taken during a meeting held in Lahore under the chairmanship of Provincial Election Commissioner Ejaz Anwar Chauhan and Chief Secretary Punjab.

Secretary Local Government Punjab apprised the meeting of the preparations for the elections and security, transport, and communication plans for the elections were discussed.

Provincial Election Commissioner Punjab Ejaz Anwar Chauhan said that proper arrangements should be made for the training of security personnel and all district returning officers should supervise the process of preparing polling bags.

Ejaz Anwar Chauhan said that all the basic facilities should be ensured at the polling stations and control rooms should be made more active for redressal of complaints.

He said that up to 570,000 staff will be deployed on the election day and the training of the election staff will be completed by January 29.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) categorised over 17,500 polling stations as highly sensitive, 32,508 as sensitive, and 42,500 as normal out of a total of 92,500 polling stations nationwide.

Polling stations are categorized into A, B, and C groups, determined by their sensitivity levels, sources said.

From over 17,500 polling stations designated as highly sensitive across the country due to concerns of potential unrest, 6,599 are in Punjab, and 4,430 are in Sindh, all set to be monitored by CCTV cameras.

A total of 2,038 polling stations in Balochistan and 4,344 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been categorized as highly sensitive.

In Punjab, 15,829 polling stations are classified as sensitive, 8,030 in Sindh, 2,068 in Balochistan, and over 6,000 polling stations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa fall under the sensitive category. Responding to a question he said official polling scheme to be revealed 15 days before the scheduled February 8 general elections.