ISLAMABAD: Around 70,000 presiding officers will assume control of polling stations on Friday.

The officers will be stationed at the polling office on the night of May 10 and will be handed over polling material, including ballot papers and voters’ lists. The ballot papers and other material will be opened in the presence of polling agents on May 11.

For the first time in the country’s history presiding officers are being given powers of magistrate first class for three days starting from Friday to punish on the spot anyone found interfering with electoral process.

They will be empowered to jail anyone for three months for disrupting polling process after a summary trial.—Staff Reporter