The caretaker federal cabinet in Islamabad has approved the deployment of army troops and civil armed forces personnel during the upcoming general elections on February 8. This decision comes after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) mentioned a shortfall of 277,558 security officials necessary for the election duty. The ECP had written to the interior ministry stating the need for immediate arrangements to deploy Pakistan Army and other security forces at polling stations due to a shortage of personnel in various regions. The surge in militant attacks and targeted killings of political figures has prompted the need for increased security and rapid response forces at sensitive constituencies and polling stations.
Furthermore, a new committee has been formed to ensure the smooth conduct of the upcoming elections, as well as overseeing their security arrangements. This committee will be headed by the caretaker minister for communications, Shahid Ashraf Tarar, and will also include the interior secretary and four provincial chief secretaries among others. The National Crisis Management Cell of the Ministry of Interior will serve as the committee secretariat. Additionally, president of SMS Bank Tahir Hussain Qureshi has been given a three-month extension by the Ministry of Finance, and a search committee has been formed to appoint a vice chancellor at Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University.
The decisions made by the cabinet will address the ongoing security challenges and administrative requirements to ensure the orderly conduct of the upcoming general elections.