Quetta: Balochistan is all set to hold local government elections in 32 districts on May 29 (Sunday) amid tight security arrangements.

According to details, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has declared over 2,000 polling stations sensitive and the provincial government has enhanced security to avert any untoward incident during polling.

In Balochistan, a total of 17,774 candidates are contesting the LG elections. Chief Minister Balochistan, Mir Quddus Bizenjo ordered the release of Rs600 million to meet the expenses of the elections including logistics expenditures of the election staff and law enforcement agencies.

According to Provincial Election Commission, the total number of registered voters in the 32 districts is 3,552,398 with over 2,000,000 male voters and 1,546,124 female voters.

The ECP has set up 13,533 polling booths in 5,624 polling stations across 32 districts. Election results will be announced on June 2.

The voters will exercise their votes for seven Municipal Corporations, 49 Municipal Committees, and 838 Union Councils in these districts. There are 6,259 wards including 5,345 rural and 914 urban.

On the other hand, a special security plan was made to ensure peaceful and smooth polling.

Besides, 45,438 security personnel — including members of the police, Levies, Anti-Terrorist Force and Frontier Corps (FC) — will be deployed in and around polling stations. Army troops along with FC personnel would be deployed at all tentative polling stations.

Fire ripped through a superyacht in southwest England on Saturday, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the sky and briefly releasing the burning vessel to drift across its marina.

Police and fire officials said the 85 foot (26 metre) yacht in Torquay, Devon, was "well alight" and the fire brigade said the vessel contained about 8,000 litres of diesel fuel, prompting local areas and nearby beaches to be cleared.

The police said no one had been injured in the fire and the yacht had since been secured after it broke free from its mooring. The police did not say who owned the yacht.

SOURCE: REUTERS

Peshawar: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf will move the supreme and high courts over  the "violence" comitted on the party workers and supporters by the government during its recent Azadi March to Islamabad, Imran Khan announced on Saturday.

The PTI chief told a presser that tear-gas shelling and other incidents of high handed tactics were allegedly used during the march, which ended in abrupt fashion on Thursday after an intense buildup all through the previous day.

He said the use of violence against his party's "peaceful protest" would be taken up in front of international human rights organisations as well.

"We are taking the petition in the Supreme Court on Monday and asking whether or not a peaceful protest in this country is a right of a democratic party. Tell us clearly if this harassment would continue if we stage a peaceful protest," he said.

Lashing out at the coalition government for its measures to clamp down on the Azadi March and the use of police to quell the people, Khan said they had information that they [rulers] set trees on fire to frame the PTI workers.

The ousted prime minister also but warne in the next phase, PTI would come with complete preparations.

The former prime minister said he would again give a call for march towards Islamabad if his democratic demand for general election were not met within the six-day deadline.

The PTI’s Core Committee discussed in detail various options as they would embark on the long march with full preparations, he said, adding the PTI would also approach the Supreme Court to seek its directions whether the people and political parties could hold peaceful protests.

Under the Constitution, he said, the people had the right to hold peaceful protests, but force was used against the participants of PTI march, with all the roads, highways and exit points of cities barricaded.

They would get lodged criminal cases against police officers involved in violence against peaceful protesters, he added.

He claimed that his government was in talks with Russia to purchase fuel at less than 30 percent of the market rate to give relief to the masses.