122,000 cops, 10,000 Rangers personnel to be on election duty in Sindh

The high-level committee set up by the caretaker prime minister to oversee preparations for General Elections 2024 met in Karachi on Tuesday and took important decisions to ensure peaceful polls in Sindh.

Officials said Federal Minister for Communications, Railways and Maritime Affairs Shahid Ashraf Tarar, who is the head of the committee, presided over the meeting to review security for the upcoming elections. Sindh Chief Secretary Dr Muhammad Fakhre Alam, caretaker provincial home minister Brigadier (retd) Haris Nawaz, ACS Home Muhammad Iqbal Memon, Director General Sindh Rangers Major General Azhar Waqas, the Sindh IGP, and representatives of the Pakistan Army attended the meeting.

The meeting conducted a thorough review of security and other arrangements for the general elections.

The chief secretary briefed the attendees on administrative measures, while the Rangers DG and the IGP provided insights into the security situation. Federal Minister Tarar emphasized that the primary objective of this committee was to ensure security and peaceful conduct of the elections.

The chief secretary provided information on the preparations for the polls, highlighting the damage caused to schools in the province due to recent floods. He said funds amounting to Rs1.5 billion were allocated for the repair of these schools. Additionally, Rs3 billion were allocated for providing missing facilities in polling stations.

The chief secretary also revealed that 4,000 highly sensitive polling stations would be equipped with CCTV cameras funded by the provincial government.

Ranges DG Major General Azhar Waqas announced the recruitment of 10,000 Rangers personnel for the general elections. The IGP, in his briefing, stated that 122,000 police officers would be deployed for security purposes.