Sindh govt suspends arms licenses in 15 districts ahead of second phase of LB polls
The ban has been imposed under section 144 from November 19 to 28.
KARACHI (Web Desk) – Sindh Home Department on Monday issued a notification, suspending licenses of weapons in fifteen districts of the province ahead of second phase of the local government elections, Dunya News reported.
The notification states, "The Government of Sindh in exercise of the power conferred under Section 144 (6) Cr P.C, do hereby suspends all kinds of Arms Licenses in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Shaheed Benazirabad Divisions with immediate effect and till 28th November, 2015."
The ban will not apply on security forces, law enforcing agencies and all security guards of private companies. However, police and personnel of other law enforcing agencies including Rangers, Frontier Constabulary and private security guards should not display or carry weapons when in civvies or ordinary dresses.
Copy of notification issued by Sindh Home Department.
The notification was released after more than ten people were killed when rival political parties fired on each other as people voted in the first phase of local government elections on October 31.
PHASE II OF LB POLLS
The political parties have geared up their preparations for second phase of LB polls in twelve districts of Punjab and fifteen districts of Sindh on November 19.
In Punjab, polling will be held in Attock, Chiniot, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Jhelum, Khanewal, Mandi Bahauddin, Mianwali, sahiwal, Sargodha, Sheikhupura and Toba Tek Sindh.
In Sindh, polling in second phase of the LB polls will be held in Badin, Dadu, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Matiari, Mirpur Khas, Naushahro Feroze, Sajawal, Sanghar, Shaheed Benazirabad, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tharparkar, Thatta and Umerkot.
As many as 14,685,822 voters have been registered in Punjab while about 22,691,022 locals would exercise voting right in Sindh.
Local bodies, in which voters elect councillors directly, devolve administrative and financial powers to lower tiers of electoral bodies. The elections were last held in 2005 under General Pervez Musharraf, who came to power in a bloodless coup.
In March this year, the Supreme Court called the absence of the local government system for over a decade unconstitutional and ordered the election commission to arrange for polls to be held as soon as possible.
