Paramilitary to provide security for Pak by-polls

Last Updated: Tuesday, March 09, 2010, 14:19

Tags: Pak by-polls, Pak paramilitary

Lahore: Paramilitary troops have been called in to provide security for parliamentary by-elections to be held in Punjab province tomorrow following a suicide car bomb attack on a special investigation unit of police in this eastern Pakistani city.

The Pakistan Rangers will provide security for by-polls to be held in four constituencies in Punjab, including one seat in Lahore.

The government was left with no option but to deploy the paramilitary troops after yesterday's suicide attack as a report of the Punjab home department had declared that all four constituencies are "very sensitive".

Yesterday's suicide car bomb attack on the special investigation unit in Model Town area of Lahore killed 13 people, including police officials, and injured about 80 others.

Earlier, opposition parties had demanded the deployment of the Pakistan Rangers for the by-polls to check rigging.

Former premier and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif had earlier planned o contest the by-elections from the constituency in Lahore but he recently withdrew from the race on the advice of party leaders.

There has been tension in the constituency in Lahore between the candidates of the PML-N, Jamaat-e-Islami and Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf, the party led by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan.

PTI

First Published: Tuesday, March 09, 2010, 14:19