Pak gears up for Feb.18 polls

Pakistan is ready to hold its ninth general election on Monday.

Islamabad, Feb.17 : Pakistan is ready to hold its ninth general election on Monday.

Polling will commence at eight in the morning and conclude at 5 p.m. without any break.

According to the Dawn, it is being speculated that election results would be compiled and announced much earlier than was the case in the 2002 general elections.

The blood-tainted and unusually-long election campaign for the 2008 general elections came to an end at 12 midnight Saturday.

It may be recalled that the election date was extended from January 8 to February 18 because of the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto on December 27.

Elections for three National Assembly seats and seven provincial seats have been postponed for various reasons.

Polls will be held for 269 general seats of the National Assembly and 570 seats of the provincial assemblies. Over 7,200 candidates will contest the elections and 81.2 million eligible voters will exercise their franchise.

In all, 64,176 polling stations with 0.174 million polling booths have been established all over Pakistan. For the purpose, 0.52 million polling personnel have been appointed by the concerned returning officers.

More than 24,000 polling stations have been declared sensitive and Army personnel are also being deployed at certain places to ensure the electoral process is completed without any trouble or hindrance.

ANI