LAHORE, April 27: Following the deteriorating law and order situation, the Sunni Ittehad Council (Mushahdi Group) on Saturday sought handing over security control of each polling station to army personnel across the country.

“We condemn any form of terrorism and urge the caretaker federal and provincial governments to make certain security arrangements by deploying army men at all polling stations in order to maintain peace on the polling day,” SIC Chairman Syed Mahfooz Shah Mushahdi said while presiding over a party meeting here.

He asked the caretaker governments to appoint police officers of good repute in troubled areas so that the people could get rid of the ongoing spate of terrorism.

JI: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Syed Munawar Hasan has also asked the caretakers to make arrangements for deploying army troops at all polling stations of the country, particularly at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Karachi.

In a statement, the JI amir said since the Jamaat and other parties would never tolerate delay or postponement of elections on any pretext, it was the right time to finally take a decision about deployment of army at polling stations in order to conduct polling process peacefully.

He said the anti-state elements had become active to sabotage elections through bomb blasts at political rallies. “This situation is creating a sense of unrest and apprehension among the masses about elections. The caretaker governments and election commission should realise this well and deploy army personnel at polling stations,” Hasan said.

JUI: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Saturday that any bid to postpone elections wouldn’t be better for the country.

According to a press release, Fazl while talking to his local party leaders said it was the time to ensure provision of rights to workers by ending the class system.