ISLAMABAD (MNN); The federal government on Friday approved the deployment of the Pakistan Army and civil armed forces to ensure security during the by-elections scheduled for November 23.
The by-polls will be held in NA-18 (Haripur), NA-96 (Faisalabad-II), NA-104 (Faisalabad-X), NA-143 (Sahiwal-III), NA-185 (Dera Ghazi Khan-II), NA-129 (Lahore-XIII), PP-73 (Sargodha-III), PP-98 (Faisalabad-I), PP-115 (Faisalabad-XVIII), PP-116 (Faisalabad-XIX), PP-203 (Sahiwal-VI), PP-269 (Muzaffargarh-II) and PP-87 (Mianwali-III).
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had written to the defence and interior secretaries on Thursday, requesting the deployment of civil armed forces and army personnel to help ensure peaceful polling and safeguard election officials, voters, and the wider public.
According to an interior ministry order issued today, the government authorised a “sufficient strength” of civil armed forces to serve as second-tier responders on standby in quick reaction force (QRF) mode, while the Pakistan Army will serve as third-tier responders under Articles 220 and 245 of the Constitution.
The order further said that troops would be empowered to exercise authority under Sections 4 and 5 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, from Saturday to Monday.
It added that the exact number of troops would be determined by home departments and the ECP in consultation with relevant stakeholders based on ground assessments.
Faisalabad DMO fines Rana Sanaullah
Meanwhile, Faisalabad District Monitoring Officer Muhammad Murtaza Malik imposed a fine on Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah and his son-in-law, Rana Ahmad Sheheryar, the candidate for PS-116, for violating the ECP’s code of conduct.
According to the DMO, Sanaullah failed to comply with the notice served earlier today and participated in Sheheryar’s election campaign by addressing a public gathering at Nawaz Sharif Park. The speech was broadcast on electronic and social media, violating polling rules.
A fine of Rs50,000 was imposed on Sanaullah, with the DMO stating that the case would be referred to the ECP if payment was not made. Sheheryar was also fined Rs50,000 for failing to respond regarding Sanaullah’s participation in his campaign.
