DLP Report
PESHAWAR
A high-level meeting was held to review foolproof security and administrative arrangements for the by-elections scheduled on November 23 in NA-18 Haripur.
According to a press release issued by the provincial office of the electoral watchdog, the meeting was attended by Provincial Election Commissioner Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Saeed Gul, Chief Secretary KP Shahab Ali Shah, IG Police Zulfiqar Hameed, Secretary Home Muhammad Zubair, Commissioner Hazara Division Fayyaz Ali, Regional Police Officer Hazara, Regional Election Commissioner Zulfiqar Ahmed, and other senior officials.
Joint Provincial Election Commissioner Muhammad Farid Afridi, Director Elections Muhammad Nadeem Khan, and Deputy Director Fahad Ali Shah also participated. Officials were given a detailed briefing on preparations for the by-elections on the vacant NA-18 Haripur seat.
The Provincial Election Commissioner expressed concerns over an “inappropriate speech” delivered by the Chief Minister KP during a public meeting in Havelian, noting that the Election Commission had taken notice.
Terming the upcoming by-election “highly important,” the Provincial Election Commissioner said immediate action is being taken on all violations of the election code of conduct. He added that the election campaign will conclude at midnight between November 21 and 22, 2025.
According to the briefing, all arrangements for Election Day have been finalized.
A total of 754,000 voters, including 392,415 men and 361,705 women, will exercise their right to vote. The Election Commission has set up 604 polling stations and 1,906 polling booths, of which 402 polling stations are sensitive and 42 are declared extremely sensitive.
Monitoring and control rooms have been established at the offices of the Provincial Election Commissioner, the District Returning Officer (DRO), and the Returning Officer (RO). The Provincial Election Commissioner emphasized the need for extraordinary security measures during the distribution of election materials and at the result compilation centers.
Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah assured the meeting that the Chief Minister would be briefed regarding the Election Commission’s notice and reaffirmed that full compliance with the Commission’s directives would be ensured. He said adequate security arrangements had been put in place.
The Home Secretary and the Regional Police Officer Hazara provided a detailed security briefing, stating that CCTV cameras have been installed at key points and additional security personnel will be deployed at sensitive and highly sensitive polling stations. A 24-hour control room has also been established in the Police Department to coordinate with all security agencies.
