ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Caretaker Interior Minister Dr. Gohar Ejaz said on Tuesday the government had completed all arrangements to ensure peaceful and transparent polls on Feb. 8, with around 650,000 security personnel deployed nationwide to ensure the safety of voters and polling booths.
Over 90,000 polling stations have been set up across all four provinces for this week’s vote, with nearly 128 million registered voters expected to come out to cast their ballots to elect representatives for the national and provincial legislative assemblies.
About 371,000 troops were spread out across Pakistan to guard the last election in 2018, about three times more than the number from 2013 polls.
“About 650,000 security personnel have been deployed on the ground to ensure the security of the voters,” Ejaz told reporters during a media briefing in Islamabad.
“Over 137,000 security personnel from paramilitary and army units will be deployed along with 511,000 police personnel performing duties during the elections.”
He said Pakistan’s armed forces, civilian armed forces, police, and all necessary resources were in place to carry out the electoral exercise.
“We have a three-tier security system: firstly, the police, behind them, the civil armed forces, and behind them, the armed forces,” Ejaz said.
Out of 90,675 total polling stations across Pakistan, 44,026 had been declared “normal” in terms of security, while over 29,000 polling stations were classified sensitive, with CCTV cameras installed at these locations.
“Additionally, 16,766 polling stations have been designated as highly sensitive,” the minister said.
Ejaz said around eight security personnel on average would be deployed at each polling station.
“For restive areas, a special aerial Quick Reaction Force (QRF) has also been established so that if God forbid, any incident occurs at any polling station, our aerial QRF force, comprising our commandos, will be ready to respond promptly,” he said.
