Polling for the by-elections in Multan’s NA-148 constituency has finished without any problems.
There are eight people running for this seat. The race between Ali Qasim Gilani of the PPP and Taimur Altaf Malik of the Sunni Ittehad Council is likely to be very close.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) says that 275 polling places were set up, but 69 of them were labelled as sensitive. In NA-148, 444,231 people were signed up to vote, with 233,664 men and 210,607 women.
There were about 3,800 Pakistan Army and Rangers soldiers stationed at voting places to keep them safe. CCTV cameras and walk-through gates were also set up.
A deputy commissioner (DC) in Multan named Rizwan Qadeer Strict said that any problems with law and order would be dealt with.
The Provincial Election Commissioner of Punjab said that the voting stations have been made completely safe to make sure that enough people vote.
Yusuf Raza Gilani, Sikandar Hayat Bosan, and Ahmed Hussain Dehar have all been chosen from this area in the past. Gilani, who had just been chosen as Senate chairman, quit, leaving the position open.
