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ISLAMABAD: The three services of the country’s defence forces will be involved in providing security and necessary support to the election authorities for the upcoming polls.
The decision for the provision of the army for door-to-door verification of voters in Karachi and assistance for delimitations in that city as per the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would be taken in the corps commanders meeting early next month. The Defence Ministry will study the requirement for the purpose once it receives by the ECP.
The meeting of the corps commanders will be chaired by Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani. The meeting could also take place before that if the Defence Ministry dispatches the requirements of the ECP earlier. The whole plan would be drawn up as the ECP sends its desire to the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces.
The commission has decided to deploy the army in Karachi, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and sensitive parts of Balochistan during the polls and accordingly the Navy would also cooperate with the administration for peaceful holding of the general elections in the country.
Well-placed defence sources told The News here Thursday that the action by the armed forces would be strictly within the trajectory of the Constitution. Such a demand has also been made by various political parties. The role of the army so hinted by the ECP would be in fulfilment of the demand.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has been expressing its reservations about the decision of the ECP but it hasn’t spoken its mind about the deployment of troops for the supervision of the polls.
Interestingly coalition partners of the MQM including the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) are not averse to the move. The Commission will have to pay compensation to the armed forces for their services since it has to sustain heavy fiscal burden on logistics when deployed for such duties.
In the meantime Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) has confirmed that the army will provide its services for holding of general elections in peaceful manner and before that the decision pertaining to the details of the services would be determined when the proposals of the commission will reach the Ministry of Defence.
The decision for the provision of the army for door-to-door verification of voters in Karachi and assistance for delimitations in that city as per the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would be taken in the corps commanders meeting early next month. The Defence Ministry will study the requirement for the purpose once it receives by the ECP.
The meeting of the corps commanders will be chaired by Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani. The meeting could also take place before that if the Defence Ministry dispatches the requirements of the ECP earlier. The whole plan would be drawn up as the ECP sends its desire to the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces.
The commission has decided to deploy the army in Karachi, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and sensitive parts of Balochistan during the polls and accordingly the Navy would also cooperate with the administration for peaceful holding of the general elections in the country.
Well-placed defence sources told The News here Thursday that the action by the armed forces would be strictly within the trajectory of the Constitution. Such a demand has also been made by various political parties. The role of the army so hinted by the ECP would be in fulfilment of the demand.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has been expressing its reservations about the decision of the ECP but it hasn’t spoken its mind about the deployment of troops for the supervision of the polls.
Interestingly coalition partners of the MQM including the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) are not averse to the move. The Commission will have to pay compensation to the armed forces for their services since it has to sustain heavy fiscal burden on logistics when deployed for such duties.
In the meantime Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) has confirmed that the army will provide its services for holding of general elections in peaceful manner and before that the decision pertaining to the details of the services would be determined when the proposals of the commission will reach the Ministry of Defence.
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