ISLAMABAD : Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja on Sunday directed the officials concerned to take strict action in case of violation of code of conduct in bye-election of NA-221 Tharparkar-I.

According to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), he also directed the Provincial Election Commissioner, Chief Secretary Sindh, Inspector General Police Sindh and local administration to ensure holding of election in free, fair and transparent manner.

Meanwhile, the polling process has started for the by-election in constituency NA-221 Tharparkar-I on Sunday.

According to ECP, a control room has been established at ECP Secretariat, Islamabad, under the supervision of Additional Director General (Elections-II) to receive polling day complaints.

Further ECP staff has been assigned for control room to perform duties round the clock included M. Abdul Wadood, DD (Confidential), Ghulam Murtaza, AD (Confidential), Muhammad Iftikhar, Sub-Assistant and Ghulam Hassan, Naib Quasid (Elec-I) will remain on duty from 8:00am to 6:00pm at room No. 201, New Block on telephone number 9218527 and fax number 9204404.

Similarly, Syed Amjad Hussain Shah, AD (Estt-II), Muhammad Ali, Senior Assistant (Elec-I), Babar Ali, Junior Assistant (Elec-II) and Sadam Hussain, Naib Quasid (Elec-II) will remain on duty from 6:00 PM till receiving preliminary result at room No. 201, New Block on telephone number 9218527 and fax number 9204404.

Peshawar : Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan directed the concerned authorities of the Mardan division to launch a grand operation against illegal housing societies so as to save agricultural lands.

Presiding over a meeting in Peshawar, he directed to take effective measures against illegal constructions over the banks of the rivers.

The Chief Minister also directed health department to take steps for recruitment of staff and provision of the medical facilities in the hospitals of all three districts of the Mardan division.

Islamabad : Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider Khan says sacrifices of people living close to line of control are unforgettable and government will extend all possible assistance to mitigate their sufferings.

Talking to a delegation of forward area Naikyal, he said the government is extending three thousand rupees to every underage child of those martyred in cross LoC firing.

The AJK Prime Minister announced that the government would officially observe the anniversary of the Lanjot martyrs on Thursday to pay tributes to the martyrs of Lanjot.

On this day in 2000, fourteen civilians were martyred due to firing of Indian forces.

THARPARKAR: Polling for National Assembly (NA) seat, NA-221 Tharparkar has begun amid strict security.

A tough contest is expected between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) candidate Nizamuddin Rahimoon and Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) contestant Mir Ali Shah Jeelani in the constituency.

Polling that started from 8 in the morning will continue until 5pm without any break.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has established 318 polling stations for the by-poll and declared 13 of them as sensitive while 95 as highly sensitive. Overall 281,900 voters will cast their vote in the NA-221 Tharparkar.

The District Returning Officer (DRO) in the constituency said that police and Rangers personnel will provide security during the polling process, which will begin at 8:00 am and culminate at 5:00 pm.

The local administration has facilitated the travel of polling staff to reach their respective polling stations as 4,000 cops have been deployed in the constituency for maintaining the law and order situation.

Sindh Rangers has been deployed at sensitive and highly sensitive polling stations along with the installation of 200 CCTV cameras at various stations.

It is pertinent to mention here that the NA-221 became vacant after Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) MNA Pir Noor Muhammad Jeelani lost his life due to coronavirus in December 2020.

Born on September 15, 1951, Jeelani was a senior politician and was elected as MNA from Sindh’s constituency of NA-221-Chachro in Tharparkar in the 2018 general elections by beating the current Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.