Daska by-election to take place on April 10: Punjab election commissioner

• Election Commissioner Punjab Ghulam Israr says polling to take place "peacefully".
• Presiding officers will have to sign on Form 45 in the polling stations.
• Security arrangements will be further enhanced during the election, he says.

Election Commissioner Punjab Ghulam Israr announced on Saturday by-election in Daska's NA-75 constituency would be held on April 10, following orders from the Supreme Court.

The decision was taken during a meeting held to over conducting the Daska by-polls, with the secretary election commission in the chair.

It was also decided that the presiding officer will have to sign on "Form 45" inside the polling station. The polling agent would not leave the polling station without taking Form 45 and no political figure would be allowed to meet the returning officer while receiving the election results.

Speaking to media, Israr said "security arrangements will be further enhanced during the election".

Israr said the staff of "controversial polling stations" had been replaced and the new staff's training had been completed. "The election will be held peacefully, and cameras will be installed at sensitive polling stations."

The SC, on Friday, rejected PTI's appeal against re-polling in NA-75 Daska and upheld the earlier order of the Election Commission of Pakistan for re-polling in NA-75.

A bench, headed by Justice Umar Atta Bandial, heard the case.

PTI’s Asjad Ali Malhi, who contested the by-elections, approached the SC and challenged the ECP’s decision to hold re-polls in the entire constituency.

The PML-N had demanded re-polling in 109 'controversial' polling stations of the NA-75 Daska, if not the entire constituency.

Violence had marred the NA-75 by-election which had taken place in February, as firing incidences took the lives of two people and injured a few.

Clashes between PML-N and PTI workers led to the deaths. Both parties had blamed each other for the violence, after which the Election Commission of Pakistan ordered re-polling in the entire constituency.

During Friday's hearing, Justice Bandial said the situation was not under control in the constituency on the day of polling.