The Punjab chief secretary and inspector general (IG) have expressed their inability to provide foolproof security to polls for the Punjab Assembly without the assistance of law enforcement agencies and the Pakistan Army due to the country’s overall economic and law and order situation.
The chief secretary emphasized clean and transparent elections while explaining that it was not currently possible to hold elections under the current circumstances. He was briefing the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) session, which was presided over by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, about general elections, the state of law and order in Punjab, and the economic situation of the province.
According to the state news agency, the Punjab IGP highlighted that the deployment of police personnel goes beyond just the day of elections and includes safeguarding the safety and security of officials during censuses as well as the prevention of crime.
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The IG also highlighted that during the upcoming month of Ramadan, police will be stationed to guard mosques and worshippers.
The IG of Punjab further stated that the police were dedicated to ensuring the security and safety of all citizens and that their responsibility extended beyond simply upholding law and order during election times. The police personnel will continue to provide security to the citizens, especially during events such as Ramadan, which are of religious significance.
He said that 3,330 political meetings and campaign events were held during the 2018 elections. There will be more of them during these elections, so it is very difficult to provide security, keeping in mind the current law and order situation.
