RAWALPINDI: In addition to 6,000 Punjab police personnel, 150 police personnel from the security division of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) police have been assigned for Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) election duty, with a total of 2,000 personnel expected to be dispatched to the region.

General elections in GB are scheduled for Sunday, with election campaigns already underway by major political parties.

The 150 police personnel selected from the security division for GB election duty had been guarding high-profile buildings and installations in the federal capital, as well as performing sensitive security duties, such as escorting foreign delegations.

They will leave for GB on Thursday amid tight security and will be back in Islamabad on June 9 (Tuesday).

Of the 150 ICT police personnel, 30 personnel have been selected from the Special Protection Unit (SPU), five from the President’s House, 20 from the Prime Minister’s House, six from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), 10 from the Foreign Office (FO) guard duty and 10 from the high security zone.

The security division wing of Islamabad police has been guarding several high-profile buildings, including the President’s House, the PM House, PMO, National Assembly, Police Lines, Special Services Group (SSG) Lines and the District Judicial Complex.

The security division also escorts foreign delegations visiting Islamabad and its SPU is deputed with Chinese nationals.

Meanwhile, convoys of Punjab police personnel to be deployed in GB for election security duty started departing from Rawalpindi and Lahore on Tuesday, escorted by armed police personnel and accompanied by Rescue 1122 ambulance to ensure their safe transportation.

“The deployed escort will not leave the convoy without handing it over to another district’s escort,” a directive from the additional inspector general (AIG) operations said.

According to sources, a convoy of 18 buses carrying 1,028 police personnel of Punjab Highway Patrol (PHP) left Police Lines Headquarters Rawalpindi for GB on Tuesday.

The Punjab police chief has directed Rawalpindi City Police Officer Syed Khalid Hamdani, the Lahore capital city police officer, regional police officers of Gujranwala, Sheikhupura and Sargodha, and the district police chiefs to ensure the provision of security to police convoys travelling to GB.

In line with the AIG’s directives, four armed police personnel will be deployed with each bus for security as more than 100 buses, including pick-up vans, have been arranged for transporting the police personnel.

Of the total number of buses, 48 buses and four pickups will be used to transport 2,348 police personnel from the PHP to GB.

The motor transport officers (MTOs) of Rawalpindi Police Lines and PHP Headquarters Lahore will be responsible for briefing the drivers about the destination and ensuring the deployment of buses with fitness certificates.

Punjab authorities had initially approved the deployment of 5,000 personnel to GB and later gave the nod for the deployment of 1,000 more police personnel for election security duty.

The police personnel will be equipped with anti-riot gear, having seasonal clothes and each bus used for their travel to GB will be accompanied by four armed police personnel.

PPP raises concerns about Punjab police deployment

In a related development, the PPP has raised questions over the deployment of Punjab Police personnel in GB on election duty.

In a video statement, PPP Central Information Secretary Nadeem Afzal Chan said, “The public has many reservations about the Punjab police, which is coming [to GB].”

He requested the Punjab police not to adopt the same “attitude” that it did towards the people of the province, emphasising there was a “huge difference” between the public in both regions.

Chan added that having a “federal police or institution” overseeing election duties would have been a better choice than having the Punjab police. He stressed it was the responsibility of the GB election commissioner and other stakeholders to ensure that “free and fair elections” were held.

The PPP leader contended that a few recent decisions taken by the GB election commissioner had raised concerns among the public as well as political parties.

Chan further claimed that federal ministers were campaigning for their parties in GB, in an apparent reference to the defence and planning ministers accompanying PML-N President Nawaz Sharif on his Tuesday visit.

The PPP leader also objected to the issuance of a no-objection certificate (NOC) to Nawaz, asking, “How can you issue an NOC to a government executive once the election schedule has been issued?”