KARACHI: Sindh Election Commissioner Ejaz Anwar Chauhan has said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was fully prepared to hold by-elections in three constituencies of the National Assembly in Karachi.
“The nomination process for these constituencies is being completed,” Chauhan said.
Sharing details of the preparations, he said the commission needed 10,000-strong staff to conduct the election and in this regard, his office was in contact with district administration to finalise the process.
“Around 75 percent of the polling stations in the constituencies are highly sensitive and in each station, 10 police will be deployed to control the law and order situation,” he said.
“We have also sought deployment of Pakistan Army and Rangers.”
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chair Imran Khan is contesting all nine National Assembly seats up for grab — including the said seats — which fell vacant after the resignations of some of the PTI MPs were accepted by Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, the speaker.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has fielded candidates in two of the constituencies — NA-237 (Malir-II) and NA-246 (Karachi West-III). The PPP has nominated Abdul Hakeem Baloch, a former party MP, for the Malir seat and Nabeel Ahmed Gabol for Lyari.
Whereas in the third constituency of NA-239 (Karachi East-IV), Nayyar Raza of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has been nominated as a joint candidate of the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition.
The commission postponed local government (LG) elections in the provincial metropolis on August 28 citing a shortage of staff following floods and a record-breaking monsoon spell.
