Islamabad police deployment for GB elections called off: sources

ISLAMABAD: The planned deployment of Islamabad Police personnel to Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) for upcoming electoral duties has reportedly been cancelled, official sources told ARY News.

Sources said that the decision was taken after a significant portion of Islamabad Police was already being sent to Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), which affected the availability of additional force required for upcoming GB elections.

According to details, the Gilgit-Baltistan government had formally requested the assistance of Islamabad Police to ensure security arrangements during the election process.

Under the initial plan, personnel from multiple branches of Islamabad Police were scheduled to be dispatched to Gilgit-Baltistan to support local law enforcement agencies in maintaining law and order.

Officials sources further noted that due to ongoing deployment commitments in Azad Kashmir, Islamabad Police could not spare additional manpower for GB elections at this stage.

As a result, the proposed inter-provincial deployment was put on hold, and no final schedule for sending the force to Gilgit-Baltistan has been issued so far.

Two killed in aerial firing during PML-N rally in Gilgit-Baltistan

Meanwhile, at least two people were killed and two others injured following a firing incident during a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) election rally in the Tangir area of Gilgit-Baltistan, police said.

The incident occurred during an election campaign rally for the upcoming Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly elections. The video of the incident went viral on the internet.

According to police, a child died on the spot after being struck by a bullet, while three other people sustained serious injuries.

One of the injured later succumbed to his wounds while undergoing treatment at a hospital, raising the death toll to two.

Initial investigations suggest that the incident occurred during aerial firing at the rally. Police said an AK-47 (Kalashnikov) slipped from the hands of a rally participant, causing bullets to be fired toward the crowd.

Local police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) and launched an investigation into the incident.

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