The Ministry of Defence has informed the Election Commission of Pakistan that the army will not be available for election duty this year due to the prevailing “situation” in the country, as the security of borders and the nation remains the army’s “topmost priority”.
During the ECP’s third session on Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies, officials from the defence ministry explained the country’s current situation, including the increasing incidents of terrorism and the deployment of the army.
They also highlighted the impact of the country’s economic situation on the army. If assigned election duty, troops would be deployed in quick response mode instead of static deployment.
The ruling administration will decide whether to assign secondary duties to the army, including election duty.
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