The Interior Ministry on Tuesday sent a proposal to the caretaker federal cabinet, seeking approval for the deployment of 277,000 Pakistan Army soldiers during the upcoming elections.
This move comes in response to the electoral body’s request for enhanced security measures due to concerns about law and order in the upcoming general elections.
Pakistan has experienced a notable increase in terrorist attacks, making 2023 the worst year in terms of terror-related incidents since 2015.
Despite the ongoing violence, political parties have been actively campaigning to win over voters. However, some politicians have raised apprehensions about the prevailing law and order situation, with a few even petitioning the Senate to consider a delay in the polls.
In a tragic turn of events earlier this month, independent candidate Kaleemullah Khan, aspiring to contest elections for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly’s PK-104, was fatally shot in North Waziristan.
Shortly thereafter, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) member Shah Khalid was also killed in Swabi when unidentified assailants on a motorcycle opened fire on his car.
Several other political figures, including Aslam Buledi of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Mohsin Dawar of the National Democratic Movement (NDM), Lala Abdul Rasheed of the National Party, and Senator Kohda Akram Dashti, have also faced attacks this month.
In response to the precarious situation, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has established a high-level committee to oversee security arrangements for the polls. Additionally, the Pakistan Army has pledged to provide essential military assistance during the upcoming general elections.
It is noteworthy that Pakistan Army soldiers, in collaboration with Rangers and Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel, will undertake election duties following the approval of the Interior Ministry’s proposal by the caretaker federal cabinet.
The decision to involve the army was prompted by a severe shortage of security personnel, particularly in Punjab, the country’s election battleground, where a deficit of 92,000 security personnel at polling stations exists.
Simultaneously, Karachi Police is grappling with a shortage of 14,300 security personnel, including female officers.,
