THE Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has done well in publishing a list of dos and don’ts for army personnel to be deployed at polling stations.

This idea is important to ensure fair and free elections. Without going into the details of these dos and don’ts, it is pertinent to say not only should the elections be held in a free and fair manner, these should also be perceived to be free and fair.

The perception about a given event can radically change the interpretation of ground reality. It is in this context that I wish to reiterate the point that the deployment of the army personnel and their intervention at different points on election day ought to be done extremely carefully to protect and safeguard the reputation of our army.

The primary responsibility of the army personnel must be to ensure orderly elections on polling day. Their key responsibility should be to report the matter of any irregularity to the polling staff including DRO, RO and presiding officer rather than to their officer-in-charge. This needs to be modified.

Since these elections have acquired high stakes, and already, right or wrong, there is a perception that a particular political party is being supported by the establishment, the deployment of the army personnel should be done with maximum care.

Their unnecessary involvement in key decisions on the election day to check irregularity may not compromise the neutrality of the army. Extra care, therefore, needs to be exercised.

The ECP should revisit its list of dos and don’ts to ensure that the key decisions in reporting and correcting irregularity stay with the civilian authority instead of the army personnel.

Dr Zafar Qureshi

Lahore

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2018