LAHORE: The polling process for the general election 2024 commenced in Lahore, the provincial capital, aiming to elect candidates for 14 National Assembly and 30 provincial assembly seats.
The polling began promptly at 8:00 am and is scheduled to continue until 5:00 pm without interruption. The Election Commission of Pakistan has diligently organized arrangements to ensure the transparency of the electoral process across the country.
In Lahore, a total of 12,164,417 registered voters participated, comprising 3,636,253 male voters and 3,221,841 female voters. The city has 4,357 polling stations to facilitate the voting process.
The National Assembly constituencies in Lahore include NA 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, and 130. Notable candidates contesting from these constituencies include Maryam Nawaz from NA 119, Nawaz Sharif from NA 130, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari from NA 130, Shehbaz Sharif from NA 123, and Hamza Shehbaz from NA 118.
Strict Security Measures in Punjab
In preparation for the upcoming general elections, Punjab Police, under the leadership of Inspector General (IG) Dr. Usman Anwar, has declared its readiness to ensure a peaceful, transparent, and safe electoral process across the province, including Lahore.
According to a press statement issues on Thursday by Punjab Police that IG Punjab Dr. Usman Anwar has instructed the police force to remain vigilant and increase security arrangements throughout Punjab.
He pledged full security for voters, polling staff, and citizens, with over 130,000 officers and officials, including women, deployed for election security.
In particular, additional personnel, including teams like the Dolphin Force and Quick Response, have been stationed at 5,577 highly sensitive polling stations. Dr. Usman Anwar affirmed his force oversight of security arrangements and the completion of installing over 32,000 CCTV cameras to monitor the election process.
Security measures are being closely monitored from various control rooms at provincial, regional, divisional, and Central Police Office (CPO) levels. Moreover, strict enforcement of the Election Commission’s code of conduct is ensured, with Section 144 in force to prohibit activities like the display of arms, aerial firing, and sabotage of the election process.
To ensure a peaceful polling process and prevent any untoward incidents, comprehensive security measures have been implemented at all polling stations throughout the metropolis. Approximately 26,000 security personnel have been deployed to maintain security and order in Lahore during the election period. —APP
