The Finance Ministry has assured the Election Commission of Pakistan that Rs17 billion will be released in a day or two for the upcoming polls on February 8. The ECP had raised concerns over the delay in releasing funds for the urgently needed amount for the elections. The ECP has also called for the deployment of army and civil armed forces outside polling stations to address the shortfall of over 277,000 police personnel across the country. Meanwhile, the caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs has ruled out any financial crisis in meeting the ECP’s needs. The Finance Ministry was repeatedly approached for the release of funds, but there was no positive response, leading to the ECP summoning the finance secretary for an explanation. The ECP has also written to the caretaker Prime Minister seeking his intervention in the matter.