News
Wednesday, May 08, 2013
Army won’t go inside polling stations: ISPRKARACHI: As already informed by the Election Commission of Pakistan and the government that army troops will not be present inside polling stations, the army will be in the area as a quick reaction force and its deployment would be for ensuring a secured environment, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Asim Salim Bajwa said on Tuesday.
He said this in a statement after a detailed briefing to Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on the security plan for the general election at a high level meeting. Maj Gen Bajwa told the media that the Commander 5 Corps, Sindh Rangers Director General, Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, IG, head of Intelligence Bureau in Sindh and heads of intelligence organisations attended the meeting.
He said that during the meeting, the COAS stressed the need for implementing the integrated and well-coordinated security plan to ensure holding of peaceful elections. He said that the deployment of army troops would be under a mechanism already decided.
Maj Gen Bajwa said that keeping in view the security concerns in Sindh, especially in Karachi, various aspects of the election security plan were discussed in the meeting.
Gen Kayani emphasised that all those associated with the security plan should work as a team so as to perform the task in an excellent manner.
The army chief also underlined the need for all organisations to fully support the security plan. The ISPR DG said that under the plan, 124,000 security personnel, including 20,000 army troops, had been deployed in their respective assigned areas in the province.
He stated that 49,000 security personnel, including 39,000 police and Rangers, and 10,000 army troops were deployed in Karachi.
“The quick reaction forces are mobile and some of them will use helicopters,” he added.
Gen Bajwa said that the Pakistan Army was entrusted with three important responsibilities, which included security of printing of ballot papers, especially at two out of the four printing presses located in Karachi; and the transportation of ballot papers, which had now been completed in Balochistan and continues in some parts of Sindh and Punjab. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk