Govt approves troop deployment for poll security

Minister dispels rumours of no foreign journalist attending polls

ISLAMABAD:

The caretaker federal cabinet on Tuesday – on the recommendation of the interim interior ministry – approved the deployment of the army and civil armed forces’ troops for conducting the next general elections peacefully.

The soldiers will not only perform duties in sensitive constituencies and at polling stations, but also act as a rapid response force.

A meeting of the federal cabinet was held, presided over by caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar, in which issues related to the current economic and electoral situation of the country were reviewed.

The cabinet also extensively discussed proposals regarding the restructuring and digitisation of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

It formed a committee, headed by interim Federal Finance Minister Dr Shamshad Akhtar, for the FBR reforms.

The interim federal cabinet also approved the formation of a body for the appointment of the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University Islamabad vice chancellor.

Earlier, the caretaker interior ministry had sent a summary to the federal cabinet for the deployment of the army as a quick response force in the general elections in the country scheduled to take place on Feb 8.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had also written a letter for the deployment of troops during the elections, in which the services of 277,000 army, Rangers and FC personnel were sought.

On the other hand, the ECP said the preparations for holding the elections on Feb 8 had been completed – bringing an end to the speculations that the polls might be delayed.

In a related development, the commission has also frozen the funds of the local governments and cantonment boards until the holding of the general elections.

In a notification, the ECP said local bodies would only carry out day-to-day affairs and sanitation work till the elections but could not launch or float tenders for new schemes.

It added that only the development schemes, which were announced by the local government before the issuance of the elections schedule, would continue.

Meanwhile, caretaker Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting, and Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi on Tuesday dismissed the rumours circulating that no foreign journalists or observers were visiting Pakistan for the upcoming general elections, asserting that such claims were contrary to the facts.

Addressing a news conference alongside Secretary Information and Broadcasting Shahera Shahid, Executive Director General of External Publicity Wing Ambreen Jan, Principal Information Officer Dr Tariq Mehmood, and Director General of Radio Pakistan Saeed Sheikh, Solangi clarified that numerous international media professionals had applied for visas to cover the elections.

Solangi said, “As of today (Jan 23), 49 visas (for Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi) have been issued, with 32 requests under process.”

Many more requests were still pouring in from various international stations, he said, adding that the 32 visa applications under process were received at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi and were being handled through India's manual visa system.

Read more: ECP to get ‘requisite’ support from army

In terms of the ECP Accreditation Cards, Solangi noted that 174 requests had been received and processed for foreign media representatives and their associated Pakistani staff based in Pakistan.
In response to the media inquiries, he detailed that 25 applications were under process from the UK, eight from Russian, 13 from Japan, two from South Africa, and five from the Commonwealth countries under the category of International Observers.

Highlighting the local media's involvement, Solangi stated that Accreditation Cards had been processed for Pakistani media houses. Thus far, 6,065 journalists had been processed, including 1,200 from Lahore, 1,470 from Karachi, 1,050 from Peshawar, 600 from Quetta, 355 from Hyderabad, 250 from Faisalabad and 290 from Multan.

RO suspended over misuse of power

The ECP has initiated disciplinary proceedings against Additional Deputy Commissioner Tariq Mehmood, the returning officer (RO) for NA-44 Dera Ismail Khan, over allegations of misuse of power.
In its statement, the ECP stated that it has come to its notice that the RO improperly exercised his authority by changing the electoral symbol of a candidate within his constituency without any reason.

The decision came a day after the Peshawar High Court division bench ordered the electoral body to take action against the RO for changing the election symbol of PTI leader and former federal minister Ali Amin Gandapur.

Justice Shakil Ahmad and Justice Waqar Ahmad also ordered the ECP to allot the election symbol ‘queen’ to Gandapur for the Feb 8 election in his National Assembly constituency.

A three-member inquiry committee led by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa election commissioner is probing into the matter and is soliciting recommendations for further action against Mehmood.

The committee is tasked with thoroughly reviewing all relevant documents and evidence. A comprehensive report is expected to be submitted by the committee on Jan 29.

According to the ECP spokesperson, Mehmood, in his capacity as the RO, has been accused of abusing his authority by tampering with the election symbol of a candidate within his constituency.

Responding promptly to this serious violation, the commission has relieved Mehmood has been relieved of his duties.

To fill the vacant position, Syed Gulfam Abbas Shah, Additional Deputy Commissioner of DI Khan, has been appointed as the new RO for NA-44.

Further, the ECP has ordered the immediate suspension of Mehmood and has urged the reporting of the matter to the Establishment Division for subsequent actions.