Supreme Court’s direction to use army in Karachi for door-to-door verification of voter lists has serious implications
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court’s direction to use the army in Karachi for door-to-door verification of voter lists has very serious implications. First, the army may not have the required manpower to undertake the process, considering that its primary job is to cater to the threat on Pakistan’s eastern border and since it is also heavily committed on the western front.
The second and most serious threat is that Karachi is awash with armed gangs. Using the military in Karachi could lead to a fight with these armed gangs, involving soldiers in urban settings. What happens if army personnel are attacked while verifying the voter lists? The political parties need to get their act together by disarming their armed wings and they can use the help of the police and the Rangers already available to them. For effective governance, Pakistan needs to revive local governments and should have a lean central government.
Col (retd) Nazir Ahmed
Published in The Express Tribune, December 12th, 2012.
