Over 200,000 Chitralis go to poll today

CHITRAL, May 10: All arrangements are ready to hold fair and free elections on the one national and two provincial assembly seats of Chitral on Saturday. District Returning Officer Syed Zamardu Shah said the election materials along with ballot papers were shifted to the respective polling stations under strict security of Chitral police and Chitral Scouts. He said legal action was taken against Saifur Rehman, the presiding officer of Booni, who is an assistant professor at the Govt. Degree College Booni, for refusing to perform election duty and disobeying order of the RO. He said security forces had been deployed at each polling station and there would be no security problem for voters. Waqas Ahmed Malik, the district election commissioner, told chitraltoday.net that some 257 presiding officers, 1,284 assistant presiding officers and 642 polling officers had been assigned elections duty. He said the election commission was trying its best to ensure fair and free elections. Responding to a question, he said some polling stations were sensitive but he expected that there would be no security issue. There are 205,989, registered voters in Chitral – 119,961 males and 86,028 females. For them, as many as 257 polling stations have been set up. There are only two female polling stations: (Chitral town and Zhughore) while the number of polling booths in the district is 642, males: 358, females: 284. PK-89: Total number of registered voters is 118,124 – 10,076 males and 48,048 females. PK-90: Number of voters 87,865 – 49,885 males and 37,980 females.]]>