Daska election update: New staff to be appointed for 20 polling stations where results were 'doubtful'

Preparations for the NA-75 Sialkot-IV by-election next week are underway with new staff being recruited for election duty.

The by-election, when it was originally held on February 19, was declared void by the Election Commission of Pakistan after it suspected results in 20 polling stations had been "tampered with".

Subsequently, the Commission issued an order for fresh polls to be conducted.

"Incidents of murders, firing and injuries, bad law and order situation in the subject constituency [created] harassment for voters and other circumstances leading to make the process of results doubtful/unascertainable,” the ECP order noted.

Read more: ECP declares NA-75 polling void, orders fresh elections in entire constituency

Now that the polls have been rescheduled for March 18, staff of the 20 polling stations — where presiding officers went missing and were unreachable as was noted in the ECP statement following election day — will be reappointed.

According to the district education authority, staff will be appointed from the department of education.

The authority added that a new presiding officer for polling station number 348 will also be appointed.

The remaining 340 polling stations will have the same staff that was appointed for election duty on February 19.