KARACHI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has stressed the need for implementing an integrated and well-coordinated security plan to ensure peaceful elections across the country.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Asim Salim Bajwa, he said this during a detailed briefing on security plan for the general elections at a meeting held here on Tuesday after his arrival in the morning from Quetta.

Gen Bajwa told reporters that the meeting was attended by the commander of 5 Corps, director general, Rangers, Sindh, chief secretary, home secretary, IGP, head of the Intelligence Bureau in Sindh and heads of intelligence organisations.

Because of security concerns in Sindh, especially in Karachi, various aspects of the security plan were discussed.

Gen Kayani said all those associated with the security plan should work as a team to perform the task in an excellent manner.

He underlined the need for all the organisations to fully support the security plan.

Under the plan, 124,000 security personnel, including 20,000 troops, had been deployed in assigned areas in the province, the ISPR chief said.

He said 49,000 personnel — 39,000 police and Rangers and 10,000 army troops — were deployed in Karachi.

“The quick reaction forces are mobile and some of them will use helicopters,” he said.

Gen Bajwa said the army was also entrusted with the responsibilities of security of printing of ballot papers and their transportation.

Two of the four printing presses were in Karachi and security was being provided there since April 19, he said.He said transportation of the ballot papers had been completed in Balochistan and was under way in some parts of Sindh and Punjab, he said, adding that it would be completed in a couple of days.