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KARACHI, Nov 22: The federal government is considering deploying armed guards from private security companies inside polling stations during the forthcoming general elections on January 8, well-placed sources told Dawn on Thursday.
They claimed that the proposal to hire the services of private security companies was part of the government’s efforts to ensure foolproof security arrangements during the elections, both within the polling stations and in the surrounding areas.
“The federal interior ministry has held meetings on the subject with representatives of the Election Commission of Pakistan and senior officials of all four provinces,” said a source close to the preparation of the proposal and the feedback it had gathered from different quarters. “The proposal was made at the request of the Election Commission since it was not ready to depend on an ill-equipped police force in insufficient numbers,” he said, referring to an understanding between the Election Commission and the federal interior ministry, which seconded the proposal and assured its support for final arrangements with the help of private security companies.
Meanwhile, a senior provincial official also confirmed that the proposal was under consideration and said that it had almost been finalised. “The election commission has decided to hire private security guards in Karachi to assist the police force and partially bridge the gap in manpower,” said Qamar-uz-Zaman Shah, the Sindh Election Commissioner. He said the move was part of the government’s plan to meet the numbers of security personnel required on polling day but did not give any further details.
Reportedly, the proposal suggested that security guards from private companies would be deputed inside polling stations. “Rangers and policemen are being considered as the force to be deployed outside polling stations, in order to keep the private security guards’ involvement with the public at the minimum,” said the source. Secondly, he said, political parties in the opposition had often complained that the lack of security inside polling stations had played a major role in rigging by the ruling parties during by-elections and polls for local bodies.
While the latest proposal apparently aims to placate the fears of the opposition parties, a number of such parties nevertheless view the expected move as dubious and likely to benefit the parties that ruled during the past government.
“We are very doubtful about the merit of the proposal,” said Mohammed Hussain Mehnati, the chief of the Jamaat-i-Islami, Karachi. “The government is likely to select companies that will serve its purpose in terms of rigging inside the polling stations, while the move will simultaneously make available a face-saving measure for the government if concerns are raised about security inside polling stations,” he told Dawn.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which was part of the ruling coalition in Sindh, also said that security arrangements during polling are a primary responsibility of the state and its institutions. “The role of guards from private security agencies has not been very impressive, particularly in Karachi,” said Faisal Sabzwari, a former MQM MPA. “They have been found to have been involved in several crimes in the city, so it would not be very wise to depend on such personnel for security on the polling day.”
However, Mr Sabzwari added that since the MQM was not formally aware of the move, further comments could be released after the details of the proposal were announced.
For their part, private security companies appeared amenable towards the idea of providing services for the government and said that they had provided guards for the Karachi local bodies’ polls and by-elections. However, they emphasised that this time, their deal with the authorities would be purely business-oriented.
“In the past, we volunteered our services and did not charge a penny for our guards who were deputed in a few of the city’s polling stations,” said Colonel (retd) Nisar Khara, chairman of the All Pakistan Security Agencies Association. “This time, however, we cannot afford to offer free services. We have already held meetings within the association and the mood is that members do not agree with voluntary service.” However, Mr Khara also said that the government had not yet approached the association, which has some 200 licensed member companies operating in different parts of the country.
