Army not available for election duty, ECP told

The Pakistan Army will not be available for election duty due to the current situation in the country, Defense Secretary Lt Gen (retd) Hamud-ul-Zaman Khan told the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday. The defense secretary said that Pakistan Army considers the security of the borders and the country as its top priority and, given the current conditions of the country, it would not be available for election duty at this time. The statement from the defense secretary came during a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, ECP secretary, and other senior officers. Additional Defense Secretary Maj Gen Khurram Sarfaraz Khan was also present. In a separate meeting on the law-and-order situation in Punjab, the chief secretary and Inspector General (IG) Police of Punjab also briefed the ECP on the security concerns related to the upcoming April 30 elections. Aslo read: Army declines troops for election duty During the meeting, the chief secretary said that it is not possible to hold free and transparent elections under the current conditions as fool-proof security cannot be provided without the deployment of other law enforcement agencies, including the Pakistan Army. The IG Punjab said that the police force is already stretched thin due to other duties, such as the ongoing operation against criminals in the Katcha areas. He added that the police would also be deployed to protect mosques and worshipers during the month of Ramazan. The Election Commission may need to consider alternative solutions to ensure the safety and security of voters and polling stations, he said. The chief secretary said in his briefing that currently 40,000 teachers are on census duty, and that these same teachers would be administering duties for matriculation exams at the same time as the elections in April. Moreover, during this time, staff is also needed for purchasing wheat. The chief secretary and IG Punjab clearly stated that, considering the current overall economic and law and order situation, fool-proof security cannot be provided in the April 30 election until other law enforcement agencies including Pakistan Army are deployed to assist them. Also read: ECP seeks Rs10b 'urgently' for K-P, Punjab polls During their meeting, the defense secretary and additional defense secretary briefed the commission on the current situation of the country, the borders, and the deployment of the army inside the country. He said that the army attaches importance to its basic duties, in which the security of the borders and the country is its first priority. However, due to the current situation in the country, Pakistan Army is currently not available for election duty, he said. Apart from this, he said that the current economic situation affects the army as well. He said that, keeping in view these circumstances, it would be the decision of the government whether it restricts the army to the performance of primary duties or assigns it to secondary duties such as election security. He also clarified that in case of election duty, the army can be deployed in "QRF Mode" and that it is not possible for the troops to perform election duty in “Static Mode”.

from Pakistan News, Latest News Pakistan, Pakistan Headline | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/GPglNBZ