Punjab Inspector General Police (IGP) Aftab Sultan has said that as many as 130,000 additional policemen fully equipped with sophisticated weapons will be deployed at 40,078 polling stations in all 36 districts of the Punjab.
The IGP said Pakistan Army and Pakistan Rangers would also assist the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the civil administration and the police for conducting free, fair and transparent elections besides maintaining law and order.
Sultan said round-the-clock armed patrolling on wireless fitted jeeps laced with automatic sophisticated weapons across the province especially in all sensitive areas had been ensured.
He warned that violators of the law will be dealt with an iron hand. He hoped that all political parties, their supporters and 6,013 candidates contesting elections against 148 National Assembly seats and 297 general seats of the Punjab Assembly will strictly adhere to the code of conduct of the ECP.
The IG said that all RPOs, CCPO, DPOs and SDPOs would be personally responsible for law and order in their respective jurisdiction failing which strict action will be taken against them.
60 CONTROL ROOMS ESTABLISHED IN PUNJAB: The Punjab government has established around 60 control rooms at divisional and district levels across the province for fair, free, impartial and peaceful polls on May 11.
These control rooms, equipped with wireless networks, have been established at the offices of divisional commissioner, regional police officer, district coordination officer and district police office, and will work round-the-clock to monitor the overall law and order situation in their respective jurisdiction.
Gunjranwala Regional Police Officer Add IG Khuda Bakhsh Awan said that the control rooms could be contacted at: 005-9200601-2 (Gujranwala RPO), 055-9200639 (Gujranwala CPO), 053-9260031 (Gujrat DPO), 052-9250338 (Sialkot DPO), 0542-412063 and 412220 (Narowal DPO), 0547-524141 (Hafizabad DPO) and 0546-500114 (Mandi Bahauddin DPO).
Faisalabad Regional Police Officer Javed Islam said all the four control rooms have started functioning at district level with following telephone numbers: 041-0200497 (RPO), 041-9201255 (Faisalabad CPO), 047-9200405 (Jhang DPO), 046-2510815 (DPO Toba Tek Singh) and 047-6330020 (DPO-Chiniot).
Javed Islam said Pak Army and Pakistan Rangers will be called in to assist the civil administration for maintaining law and order when required.
TRANSFERRED:
The IGP has issued transfer/posting orders of two police officers. According to details, Punjab Lahore SP Investigation Muhammad Sharif has been transferred and posted as Lahore Security Division SP Security-l, whereas Lahore Security Division SP Security-l Malik Muhammad Iqbal has been shifted to Lahore Central Police Office Punjab.