ECP calls for 350k-strong troop deployment

• Electoral watchdog sends summary to Defence Ministry for deployment of troops
• Information pertaining to candidates contesting in polls to be available online

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has requested the deployment of 350,000 soldiers for the upcoming general election 2018, scheduled to be held on July 25.

The electoral body has forwarded a summary to the Ministry of Defence for the deployment of troops in a bid to maintain law and order during the polling.

The request for army’s deployment comes following a meeting held at the ECP, with Chief Election Commissioner Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan in the chair, on June 14 wherein it was decided that army personnel would be deployed both inside and outside polling stations to ensure security during the elections.

It was also decided that foolproof security would be provided during printing of the ballot papers. For this purpose, the army would be deployed at Security Printing Press from June 27 to July 25.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, ECP media additional director general had said that CCTV cameras would be installed at 20,000 sensitive polling stations in the country. He had said close coordination would also be maintained with National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) in line with security measures.

He had said the meeting decided that foolproof security would also be provided to political leaders, adding that it would be the responsibility of the provinces to make necessary arrangements in this regard. Similarly, provincial governments would also provide security to district returning officers, returning officers, and presiding officers.

He had said the commission expressed satisfaction over security arrangements so far devised for the general elections.

It may be noted here that after the caretaker setup was sworn in, the interim interior minister had said that the military would only be called in if sensitive situations arise.

At least 7,000 personnel, including Rangers and Frontier Constabulary and Azad Kashmir police, will guard polling stations in Islamabad during the elections.

According to reports, 6,502 policemen will guard 773 polling stations with nine personnel to be deployed at 24 high sensitive polling stations each.

Similarly, there are 87 sensitive polling stations in the capital where 609 personnel will be deployed. On an average seven officials would provide security to each polling station.

CANDIDATES’ DETAILS TO BE MADE PUBLIC:

Meanwhile, the ECP has also decided to make the information pertaining to candidates contesting in the polls available online. The details of candidates’ assets and their affidavits will be made available to the voters.

On the other hand, the returning officers (RO) have started the process of scanning data and sending it to Election Commission Secretariat.

On Tuesday, the ECP constituted 20 tribunals to hear appeals against rejection of nomination papers by candidates for the forthcoming general election after the completion of the scrutiny process.

According to the electoral body, high court judges were part of the appellate tribunals, which started function on Wednesday. The ECP has formed six tribunals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, eight in Punjab, four in Sindh, and two in Balochistan.

The scrutiny of nomination papers concluded Tuesday. As per the election schedule, appeals against rejection or acceptance of nomination papers can be filed by June 22.

The decision on the appeals will be made by June 27, after which the final list of the candidates will be shared on June 28. The last date for withdrawal of candidature will be June 29.

Moreover, the date for allocation of electoral symbols and publication of the final list of contesting candidates will be June 30.

Several key political leaders managed to get closer to contesting the polls while many hopefuls suffered a setback on Tuesday as ROs across the country scrutinised their nomination papers.

Among bigwigs from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), party president and former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif’s nomination papers for NA-132 (Lahore), NA-249 (Karachi), NA-250 (Karachi) and NA-3 (Swat) were accepted by the RO.

PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz’s candidacy for PP-173 has also been approved. On Monday, RO Asif Bashir had cleared the way for Maryam to contest for Lahore’s NA-125 constituency as well after dismissing all objections raised during scrutiny of her nomination papers.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s nomination papers for NA-131 (Lahore) and NA-243 (Karachi) were accepted after the RO dismissed the objections against his candidacy.

However, the PTI chief, PML-N leaders Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Sardar Mehtab Abbasi, along with Ayesha Gulalai, who had been affiliated with the PTI in the past, suffered a setback in NA-53, Islamabad where the RO rejected their candidacy as they failed to properly fill out the affidavit to be submitted along with the nomination papers.