Army, Rangers to secure AJK polls: CEC

MUZAFFARABAD:

Chief Election Commissioner of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Justice (retd) Ghulam Mustafa Mughal has announced that army and Rangers personnel will be deployed to maintain security during the upcoming elections.

The region's chief election commissioner asserted that the protection of election results and official records will be ensured under all circumstances.

The assurance came during a high-level meeting chaired by the chief election commissioner to review preparations for the forthcoming polls.

The meeting was attended by election commission member Syed Nazeer-ul-Hassan Gilani, election commission Secretary Raja Shakeel Khan, district returning officers from all 33 AJK constituencies, and returning officers representing 12 constituencies reserved for Jammu and Kashmir refugees residing in Pakistan.

Addressing the participants, Justice Mughal said all necessary measures would be taken to ensure free, fair and transparent elections.

He directed officials to enforce the election code of conduct strictly and without discrimination, stressing that no candidate or political party would be granted any relaxation in the implementation of electoral rules.

The chief election commissioner said the 2016 elections were among the most transparent in AJK's history and noted that the judiciary enjoyed the highest level of public trust.

He instructed election officials to ensure complete transparency in the preparation of polling schemes and the appointment of presiding officers, while carrying out their responsibilities impartially and in accordance with the law.

He further stated that army and Rangers personnel would be deployed to maintain security throughout the electoral process and emphasised that the safety and integrity of election results and official records would be protected at every stage.