Election duties: Impossible for Army to spare 350,000 personnel: ex-generals

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) admits that the security situation is now much better compared to 2013 but still it has decided to make a heavy deployment of army troops for the July 25 elections as it doesn't want to take any chances.

“Our first and foremost priority is to hold the polls in a totally peaceful environment wherein the voters are free to exercise their right of franchise.

We don't want to take any risks,” ECP spokesman Altaf Khan said when contacted by The News for comments on reports of allocating 350,000 military troops for the elections 2018.

For the 2013 parliamentary elections, around 70,000 troops were deployed across Pakistan to perform security duties.

The spokesman said the figures cited in different reports are tentative and assumed and the modalities and code of conduct for such deployment are yet to be firmed up by the ECP, which will be formally notified.

However, he said that it has been finally decided by the ECP that the army personnel would be present outside and inside the premises of polling stations. He said the military men will have nothing to do with the process of casting of votes and ballot papers and will be concerned to perform security duty.

It is stated that since the 2013 general elections, army personnel had been deputed inside and outside the polling stations during all by-polls. It is further said that the political parties have been demanding of the ECP to do such deployment.

However, the other view is that the law and order problem, if any, will erupt only outside the polling stations in certain areas, and it hardly happens that any such scenes are created inside the voting places.

When last month the ECP held a meeting with representatives of the political parties to finalize the code of conduct for the polls, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders highlighted the view that there was no need to deploy the military troops inside the polling stations.

It is believed that those polling stations declared highly sensitive where violence eruption is feared for different reasons will see more deployment than other points.

After doing its precise calculations about the number of required army personnel, the ECP will send its proposal to the defence ministry for deployment of troops.

Another official said on the condition of anonymity that the law and order situation was far better now as against the one prevalent in 2013 when the parliamentary polls were held.

At the time, Pakistan was gripped by worst terrorism and several persons were being killed almost on daily basis in different regions in the terrorist strikes. Now, no such conditions prevail as the concerted operations by the army and other law enforcement agencies have smashed terrorist networks and have either killed or arrested a large number of criminals.

In a chat with The News, former Defence Secretary Lt-Gen (retd) Asif Yasin Malik said deployment of 350,000 troops for elections is out of question.

“The requisition of 350,000 personnel by the ECP means purely the combat troops. If this requisition is approved, the army will have to release another 100,000 troops for the movement and other arrangements of the combat troops which is impossible for the military.

The army is already engaged on the borders whereas the Line of Control (LOC) is also hot. Under these circumstances, I don’t think the army will be able to release 200,000 troops for elections duty.”

He said such a large number of troops deployment is impossible for the army and believed that the military might adopt “composite group” method (two army personnel and one police officer) for the election duties.

When asked what the army deployment says about the capacity of the law enforcement agencies (LEAs), Asif Yasin Malik said that even during the peace time the army cannot release its 50pc troops for election purposes.

The military deployment depends on variable factors - uses for floods/emergency situation and polls is different, he said adding that the deployment for the elections is altogether different because such nationwide consumption requires a lot of resources.

The retired general said that as per the army policy, the military will not deploy less than four troops in any polling station. Maybe this, the army and Pakistan Air Force troops are also detailed for the elections duty, he opined.

To a question about whether this deployment will impact the claims of a successful military operation that has brought peace and stability, Asif Yasin Malik said spring of around 200,000 troops will not create any impact the ongoing operations.

The troops will be deployed for elections for almost a week or a little longer and during this period the army can increase the pace of search mechanism in troubled areas, hence no major impact on the operation, he said.

Talking about the reason behind increased deployment of army personnel, the ex-defence secretary said the troops were deployed outside the polling stations during the 2013 general elections but this time they will be detailed inside thes premises.

In view of the rigging allegations in 2013, the army will accept the responsibility if it is given entire control now otherwise it will refuse, he said and added that the troops were deployed for security purpose during 2013 but now they are being deployed to hold the elections.

Lt Gen (retd) Amjad Shoaib told The News that it is impossible for the army to release 350,000 troops for election duty. However, the polls could be held through mix deployment including Rangers, Frontier Constabulary and police. If the army deployment is made under Article 245 of the Constitution, the other LEAs will directly work under the command of the army and this is the best solution, he said.

About LEAs’ capacity, he said he did not believe the army can release more than 150,000 troops for the election purpose keeping in view the current commitment of the armed forces.

Amjad Shoaib was of the view that if the army mustered up 150,000 troops for the elections, there will be no impact on its current operations.

“However, if the top leadership of armed forces decides to send more than 150,000 troops, there might be some impact on the ongoing campaigns.”

To a question why the demand for number of troops has increased from 70,000 in 2013 to 350,000 in 2018, he stated that due to military engagements in 2013 it was impossible for the army to spare more than 70,000 troops because the army was busy in Swat, tribal areas and other regions at the time. However, he said this time the number of sensitive polling stations has also gone up due to which the demand for troops has also increased, he said.