MULTAN:
Polling for by-elections is currently underway in Multan’s NA-148 constituency and will continue till 5pm.
Eight candidates are contesting in this constituency. A tough contest is expected between PPP candidate Ali Qasim Gilani and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) candidate Taimur Altaf Malik.
According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), 275 polling stations have been established, out of which 69 have been declared sensitive. 444,231 voters were registered in NA-148, out of which, 233,664 were men and 210,607 were women.
Read PML-N wins lion’s share in by-elections
Around 3,800 personnel of Pakistan Army and Rangers have been deployed for the security of polling stations, while CCTV cameras and walk-through gates have also been installed.
Multan Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rizwan Qadeer Strict said action would be taken against any disruptions to law and order.
According to the Provincial Election Commissioner of Punjab, foolproof security arrangements have been ensured at the polling stations to ensure a decent voter turnout.
In the past, Yusuf Raza Gilani, Sikandar Hayat Bosan, and Ahmed Hussain Dehar have been elected from this constituency. The slot had fallen vacant after Gilani, the recently elected Senate chairman, stepped down.
