Pakistan Army declines election duty, cites terror threats

Desk

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The Pakistani army’s central command, General Headquarters (GHQ), will not be providing its troops for election security in the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and for certain National Assembly seats due to the rampant terror wave sweeping the country. The Ministry of Interior informed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) of the army’s unavailability in a recent letter.

The ECP has declared by-elections for National Assembly seats to occur in March, with polling dates in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to be announced shortly, as they must be held within 90 days of assembly dissolution.

The Ministry emphasized in the letter that the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) and intelligence agencies have issued threat alerts, highlighting recent terror incidents that have claimed many lives.