PESHAWAR: Entry of Afghan refugees to urban areas has been banned while police have arrested hundreds of people during a crackdown on suspicious persons and activists of various political parties ahead of the general elections on February 18.
The Peshawar Police claimed to have foiled a major sabotage bid ahead of the polling day by recovering 46 dynamites, 42 detonators and 60 fuses from an under-construction building in Shaftal Banda on Phandu Road here on Saturday.
"The Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees has been directed to confine refugees to camps. They will not be allowed to enter the areas where polling would be going on," said special secretary Home, Khalid Umerzai, while briefing media persons about the security arrangements made for the general elections.
Hundreds of Afghan refugees as well as locals have been arrested from across the province as part of "security measures" ahead of the polls. Some political parties have alleged that the government has arrested a number of their workers to disrupt their electioneering.
The political activists who were arrested during different raids in Gulbahar, Karimpura, Hashtnagri, Sikanderpura and other parts of the city included two nazims, Arif of Gulbahar and Tariq Aziz of union council Lahori.
Other detained political activists were identified as Rahmanullah, Sultan Mohammad, Malik Zrawar, Attaullah, Abdul Rahman, Shahid Noor, Mufti Naveed of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz and Arif Qadri, Sher Wazir, Shafiq, Roohul Amin, Pehlwan Lateef of Pakistan People's Party.
A number of workers of the Awami National Party were also arrested during raids by the city police.
A total of 1,094 polling stations have been declared most sensitive all over the province while 3,219 others rated as sensitive. Only 3,618 polling stations have been declared normal.
The government has already declared Charsadda, Swat, Shangla, Tank, Hangu and Malakand as the most sensitive districts while Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan and Lower Dir have been termed sensitive.
The foreign observers and members of the international media have been directed to avoid going to Swat, Shangla, Lower Dir, Malakand, Hangu, Bannu and Tank districts and the Frontier Region of Kohat as law and order situation is not satisfactory there.
"The province has been divided into seven ranges -- Peshawar, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Kohat, Hazara, Malakand and Mardan. Police control rooms would be established that could be approached in case of emergency on the polls day," Khalid Umerzai said.
The official said that elections were being held in the NWFP for 35 National Assembly and 96 provincial assembly seats.
Polls have been postponed in three provincial assembly constituencies due to the death of the candidates.
(http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=96817)
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