LAHORE: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided to deploy army at polling stations during by-elections in Punjab.

“For ensuring transparency in the by-polls it has been decided to seek cooperation of all civil and military agencies and deploy army men both within and outside the polling stations,” ECP secretary Babar Yaqoob told the media after a meeting of the commission chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sardar Muhammad Raza here on Monday.

It reviewed the preparations regarding by-elections in Lahore and Okara as well as local elections in the province.

The Punjab chief secretary, secretaries of home and local government departments, IGP, all divisional commissioners, regional police officers and district returning officers (for by-elections and phase-I LG elections in Punjab) were in attendance.

The polling for NA-122 and PP-147 (Lahore), and NA-144 (Okara) will be held on Oct 11 (Sunday).

Mr Yaqoob said that on the demand of the army four closed-circuit TV cameras along with UPS for uninterrupted power supply would be supplied for each polling station to ensure transparency in the polling process. He said one per cent additional ballots had been printed for the by-polls and that the army was supervising the whole printing process.