PPP opposes plan to deploy troops inside polling stations in Ghotki

KARACHI: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has expressed its opposition to the plan of the Election Commission of Pakistan to deploy army troops inside the polling stations that will be established for the upcoming by-election in the province for the National Assembly constituency NA-205 in Ghotki.

The PPP expressed its reservations over the proposal to deploy army troops inside the polling stations in an application submitted to the office of the provincial election commissioner on Saturday.

In the application — submitted by PPP leaders Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Waqar Mehdi and Taj Haider — the party said the election commission should review its decision to deploy army troops inside the polling stations for the upcoming by-election in Ghotki. Talking to the media after submitting the application, PPP Sindh President Khuhro said the election commission was solely responsible for conducting the by-election on the NA-205 seat on July 23. He demanded that army personnel not be deployed inside the polling stations. He said that security reservations regarding the day of the by-election were mostly related to the outside of the polling stations, adding that there was nothing sensitive inside the premises. He also said that the police were quite capable of tackling any untoward incident inside the polling station, as fewer voters would be present inside at any given time.

He added that the PPP had gone through an unpleasant experience during the 2018 general elections, as the decision to deploy the troops inside the polling stations at that time had become controversial. Khuhro said that the staff members of the election commission were responsible for the goings-on inside the polling stations and that the army troops should remain outside the polling stations.

The PPP Sindh chief said that the party’s MPA Ali Nawaz Mahar had been issued a show-cause notice for supporting the rival candidate contesting the by-polls against the PPP in Ghotki.