ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s security personnel won’t be available for election duties because of the nation’s deteriorating law and order situation.
In this regard, the Pakistani Election Commission was informed by the Ministry of Defence that border security was of utmost concern to the military due to the second-highest increase in terrorism-related fatalities worldwide in 2022.
In order to discuss security for the general election in the most populous region, the country’s electoral watchdog met with representatives from Punjab as well as the secretary and additional secretary of the federal defence ministry multiple times.
The ceremony was attended by the ECP secretary, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, and other participants. In the key meeting with the defence secretaries, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Hamooduz Zaman Khan and Khurram Sarfaraz Khan, officials discussed the state of law and order and election-related security issues.
The defence secretary informed CEC and other ECP officials that the military’s primary responsibilities were maintaining peace and order and guarding the border. It went on to say that the current economic crisis had an effect on forces.
The defence secretary said that under the current circumstances, it would be up to the government to determine whether to deploy security personnel for supplemental activities or to confine their deployment to completing their primary duty.
The chief secretary and Punjab’s top cop recently informed the electoral watchdog that the province government would not be able to provide security for the local legislature election on April 30.
