• Cabinet okays deployment of army and civil armed forces at ‘sensitive’ constituencies, polling stations
• ECP’s letter to interior ministry mentions shortfall of 277,558 security officials
• Minister Shahid Ashraf Tarar will head new committee formed to ensure smooth polls

ISLAMABAD: The caretaker federal cabinet on Tuesday approved dep­loy­ment of troops and civil armed forces personnel on polling stations and sensitive constituencies during Feb 8 general elections.

Sources told Dawn the interior ministry had mov­ed a summary to the cabinet, suggesting the deployment of the army as a quick response force to maintain peace and security, ensuring a smooth and transparent electoral process.

The cabinet in its meeting, chaired by caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar, approved the summary, which said the army troops and civil armed forces to be deployed in sensitive areas will also serve as a rapid response force.

In fact, the deployment of troops was demanded by the Election Commi­ssion of Pakistan (ECP), citing shortage of 275,000 security officials, required for the election duty.

The ECP had already written to the interior ministry mentioning a shortfall of 277,558 security officials needed to ensure safe and secure polling nationwide.

According to information received by the ECP from the federal and provincial governments, there was a shortfall of 169,110 personnel in Punjab, 18,500 in Sindh, 56,717 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 13,769 in Balochistan and 4,500 in Islam­abad. The letter requested immediate arrangements for deploying Pakistan Army and other security forces at polling stations.

The commission had reportedly mentioned a specific case of Islamabad, where a shortfall of 4,500 personnel threatens to disrupt the electoral process as the available security staff was 4,500 against a requirement of 9,000.

The ECP sought deployment of army personnel amidst a surge in militant attacks, killing more than 700 security personnel and civilians in the first nine months of 2023.

Earlier this month, an independent candidate, Kaleemullah Khan — who was eyeing to contest polls for KP Assembly’s PK-104 — was shot dead in North Waziris­tan. Hours later, a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Khalid was also killed in an attack on his car in Swabi.

Additionally, several other leaders including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Aslam Buledi, National Demo­cratic Movement’s Mohsin Dawar and National Party’s Lala Abdul Rasheed, and Senator Kohda Akram Dashti have also came under attack this month. A convoy of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman also came under attack.

On Thursday, PM Kakar also constituted a seven-member committee mandated with ensuring the smooth conduct of the upcoming Feb 8 general elections as well as overseeing their security arrangements.

According to a notification issued by the PM Office, the caretaker minister for communications, Shahid Ashraf Tarar, was named as the head of the committee.

Other members include the interior secretary, four provincial chief secretaries as well as any other co-opted individual desired by the committee.

As per the PMO notification, the committee will have the mandate to oversee the security arrangements for polls; review and resolve matters rega­rding administrative arra­n­gements and coordination for the smooth conduct of elections; issue dir­ections for urgent requ­irements of additional security where law and order situation requires, and implement directions of the ECP regarding smooth and orderly conduct of polls.

The notification said the National Crisis Manage­ment Cell of the Ministry of Interior will serve as the committee secretariat.

The cabinet also approved a summary of the Ministry of Finance and gave president of SMS Bank Tahir Hussain Qureshi a three month-extension to serve or till formal closure of the bank.

The meeting, on the recommendation of health ministry formed a search committee, head­­ed by the caretaker health minister, for appointment of vice chancellor of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University. The decisions of Economic Coordina­tion Committee and the Cabinet Commi­ttee on Legislative Cases were also approved.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2024