Most polling stations for Bajaur by-election declared sensitive

BAJAUR: With most polling stations declared sensitive, by-election for a local body seat will be held in Khar tehsil today (Sunday) amid tight security.

The district administration imposed Section 144 prohibiting public gatherings across the district for the polling day.

There are two candidates for the youth councillor seat in the Janat Shah village council, according to district election commissioner Ajmal Hafiz.

He told reporters that most polling stations had been declared sensitive for the electoral exercise.

Mr Hafiz saidthe vacant seats in Bajaur’s local bodies totalled 20.

Polling to be held today amid tight security

He said 15 candidates, including 14 women and a youth councillor, had already been elected unopposed.

The official said no one had submitted nomination papers for the four seats of women councillors, so they would remain vacant.

Meanwhile, the district administration said it had imposed Section 144 to prevent any untoward incident during the by-election.

In a statement, it said the decision about Section 144 was made in a meeting chaired by deputy commissioner Mohammad Anwarul Haq in his office.

The administration said the participants examined the law and order situation in the region, arrangements for by-election, installation of CCTV cameras at polling stations, and other facilities at polling stations and decided that irrelevant people won’t be allowed to enter polling stations.

They also decided that the display of arms, pillion riding and holding of processions and gatherings would be banned on the polling day.

PROTEST: The traders of Nawagai Bazaar here on Friday warned they would take to the streets if electric supply to the market was not restored forthwith.

The warning was issued during a meeting chaired by Nawagai Traders Association president Qiays Khan and attended by political and social activists.

The participants complained that the Tribal Electric Supply Company had suspended power supply to the bazaar several days ago to force traders to install meters in their shops.

They said the public utility’s act was unjustified as most traders regularly paid electricity bills. The traders asked Tesco officials to sit down with them to sort out the issue amicably.

KILLED: Gunmen killed an elderly man in Sadiqabad town here on Saturday.

The police told Dawn that Mohammad Saood Jan, 65, was attacked on the Bajaur-Peshawar Road as he was travelling to the weekly cattle market in the area.

They said the firing victim died in the Rescue 1122 ambulance on the way to the hospital. The police said some people tried to capture the gunmen but the latter fled.

Meanwhile, another man, who suffered injuries in the July 30 suicide blast here, died on Saturday taking the bombing death toll to 65.

Sirajul Haq, 42, breathed his last at a Peshawar hospital on Friday night, according to his family.