Deployment of troops, police approved for 'fair election' in AJK

1,600 Rangers to guard sensitive polling stations, 19,000 army troops put on standby

At the request of the Azad Kashmir government, the federal cabinet has approved the deployment of military and paramilitary troops in addition to 11,000 police officials to ensure transparent elections on July 25.

In a letter to the interior ministry, the AJK government had sought the deployment of troops in the region to perform security duties on election day. The request was forwarded to the cabinet which subsequently approved it through a circular issued late Tuesday night.

In a bid to ensure a fair election, the federal government has decided to deploy at least 40,000 police and security officials on polling day.

Out of these 40,000 troops, 19,000 belong to the Pakistan Army, 4,000 belong to the Frontier Constabulary, while 2,000 personnel belong to the Pakistan Rangers.

At least 6,000 officials of the Punjab Police, 4,000 officials of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, and 1,000 officials of the Islamabad Police will also perform duties during the AJK elections.

The government has also decided that at least 1,600 troops of the Pakistan Rangers will be deployed at the most sensitive polling stations while the Pakistan Army soldiers will remain on stand-by assist if required.

All security forces will report to the AJK Election Commission while police and the Punjab Constabulary will report to the AJK government on the election day.