Provide security to all candidates, leaders: ECP

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has written to the federal government and provinces to provide security to all the contesting candidates and leaders of political parties with regard to the general election. “Yes, the ECP has written to the caretakers in the Centre and in the provinces to take measures for sparing law-enforcement agencies’ personnel for security of both candidates and top leaders of political parties,” confirmed a senior official of the ECP when contacted on telephone over the matter. Though nearly 21,500 candidates filed nomination papers for the elections, around 19,000 are to be left for the nation-wide electoral bout on July 25. About 3,000 nomination papers have been rejected already while there is still a stage for candidates to withdraw their candidature. “Similarly, providing security to top leaders of mainstream political parties, like PPP, PTI and PML-N and other parties, should not be an extraordinary burden on the law-enforcement agencies,” he maintained.