THE caretaker federal cabinet approved on Tuesday the deployment of Pakistan Army and civil armed forces troops for the peaceful conduct of general elections on the recommendation of the Interior Ministry. These forces will perform duties at sensitive constituencies and polling stations and will also act as a rapid response force.
The decision to deploy troops at sensitive polling stations and make them available as a rapid response force to ensure a peaceful environment during the polling process is understandable. It is not the first time that Army troops would be deployed at sensitive polling stations as this was done in the past but there are reasons to be more cautious about February 08 elections as local and foreign vested interests are trying to create law and order situation in their bid to deprive the elections of their due credibility and discourage people from coming out of their homes to exercise their right to vote. There have been several attacks on political personalities and candidates during electioneering, forcing parties and their leaders to restrict their plans for canvassing. Intelligence reports also speak of formidable threats to prominent political leaders besides concerns about deterioration of the security situation on the polling day. Apart from threats of terrorism, there are also apprehensions of confrontation among workers and supporters of rival candidates in constituencies where the contest is being considered as a matter of prestige. Some influential candidates are in the habit of creating panic as part of their strategy to win the elections through fair and unfair means. With all this in view, the Election Commission of Pakistan had requested the federal government for the deployment of 277,000 army personnel to maintain security, and law and order situation across the country. Their deployment would, therefore, boost confidence of the voters to participate in the voting process. However, it should be ensured that the deployment is within the premises of the sensitive polling stations and personnel of law enforcing agencies and troops must stay away from polling booths as well as counting process in view of the allegations made in the past in this regard.
