267 health department employees face arrest for skipping election duty in Karachi
KARACHI, Feb 02: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)authorities have issued arrest warrants for 267 Health Department employees in Karachi who failed to report for duty during the 2024 elections. The warrants were issued by the Returning Officer for PS 110 South, highlighting the seriousness of neglecting election responsibilities.
Returning Officer Muhammad Hayat expressed disappointment at the employees' reluctance to fulfill their national duty and demanded their immediate arrest and production before the court on Friday. Notably, some of the absentees include women, raising concerns about potential gender bias in duty allocation.
This incident is not an isolated one. In Sindh, the Election Commission has also come under fire for assigning election duties to deceased teachers. Reports indicate that one primary teacher passed away in August 2023, while another died in January 2024, yet their names appeared on the duty roster, raising questions about data management and communication within the system.
The school administration claims they informed the authorities about the teachers' deaths through written communication, emphasizing the need for a more robust system to update and verify personnel records.
Meanwhile, ensuring smooth and secure elections requires significant manpower. In this context, thousands of Sindh Police office personnel have been deployed for security duty. Approximately 10,954 personnel will contribute as additional security, bolstering existing security arrangements.
The contingent comprises staff from various districts, including Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sukkur, and Larkana. Notably, trainee officers, ministerial staff, and IT cadre employees are also part of the deployment.
Furthermore, SP-rank officers will be designated as Regional Focal Persons in each district, supported by Quick Response Teams (RRT) and Special Security Units (SSU) to address any arising situations promptly.
