The Election Commission is contemplating to deploy army for law and order maintenance during the coming parliamentary election, due before January 24, election commissioner Shah Nawaz said on Monday He told reporters at his office that EC would meet soon to decide when the election schedule would be announced. Asked whether the EC would be able to hold the election if political violence continues, Shah Nawaz said, ‘Look, we have no alternative but to follow the Constitution and hold the lection.’
‘We cannot by pass the law,’ he said.
‘We have the constitutional obligation to hold the election,’ he said.
‘But we expect that all the political parties will take part in the election,’ he said.
He said that the EC hoped that the registered political parties would reach a consensus and take part in the election.
‘And we hope that we will be able to hold a violence-free election without any obstacles,’ said the election commissioner.
‘Besides the regular law enforcement agencies, we will deploy military to maintain law and order during the polls,’ he said.
‘If necessary, we will request the president to deploy military,’ he said.
Asked how the EC would deploy military troops after the armed forces have been excluded from the definition of law enforcers in the amended Representation of the People Order 1972, he said the EC could engage anybody in the elections.
‘The army was deployed in earlier elections though the definition of the law enforces in the RPO did not include the armed forces,’ he recalled.
He said, ‘It would be very difficult for the regular law enforcers alone to maintain law and order in so many polling stations across the country.’
‘That is why, we are thinking to seek cooperation from the armed forces,’ he said.
Asked when the army would be deployed, he said that the EC would take a decision in this regarding as the situation evolved.
Asked when the EC would announce the election schedule, the election commissioner said that the EC would meet soon to take a decision in this regard.
‘We do not have enough time at hand as the 90-day countdown to the election had begun days before,’ he said.
‘We will take a decision soon,’ he added.
The RPO amendment of 2009 excluded the armed forces from the definition of law enforcers.
The election commission can always deploy armed forces ‘in aid of civil administration’ under the Section 127-132 of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898, said several EC officials.
-With New Age input
