Ameliorating security situation on ECP’s directions, GHQ rep tells Senate body

ISLAMABAD: A representative of the General Headquarters (GHQ) notified the Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Thursday that armed forces are merely working on the directions of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to improve the situation of security during polls.

The GHQ representative reiterated before the Senate body that army has no direct role in the conduct of upcoming elections.

Addressing the committee’s meeting, the army’s representative further said that troops are liable to follow the code of conduct of the election commission on the polling day.

Recounting that armed forces had always lent support to civil institutions of the country, the GHQ representative elucidated that there were no obstructions in the communication process with the electoral body.

READ MORE: Security forces will work under presiding officers: ECP Secretary

“The troops will also have to perform the police’s duties until the latter’s capabilities improve,” the army’s representative told the committee members.

The general elections 2018 of Pakistan are due on July 25. The polling day will mark a second transition of a democratic government in Pakistan.

A total of 105.96 million voters out of total population of about 200 million people are included in the electoral roll to cast vote in elections on July 25, 2018. They include: 59.22million male and 46.73million females, with the gender gap between male and female rising to around 12.5m. This shows that 55.9 per cent of the registered voters in Pakistan are males while only 44.1pc are females.