ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army’s top leadership on Thursday vowed to extend “requisite and necessary support” to Pakistan’s election regulator, a statement from the army’s media wing said, as the election commission gears up to hold national polls in the country amid a precarious security situation.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will issue election symbols to political parties and candidates on Jan.13 before it oversees the polling exercise on Feb.8.
The election regulator earlier this month sought the deployment of Pakistan Army troops inside polling stations to ensure foolproof security arrangements. A senior ECP official had cited a shortfall of police personnel across the country to maintain law and order as the primary reason for the deployment.
“The Forum also noted that requisite and necessary support will also be extended to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for forthcoming general elections,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media wing, said in a statement.
The statement came after Pakistan’s army chief General Syed Asim Munir presided over a two-day-long Corps Commanders’ Conference at the army headquarters in Rawalpindi. The army’s top brass held discussions on important defense and security matters during the conference.
The army also noted with concern the availability of sanctuaries and the latest weapons for “terrorists” in a neighboring country, the ISPR said, in what seemed to be an apparent reference to Afghanistan.
“The sanctuaries and liberty of action available to the terrorists of proscribed TTP and other groups of that ilk in a neighboring country and availability of latest weapons to the terrorists were noted as serious points of concern impacting security of Pakistan,” the ISPR said.
Pakistan’s ties with the Taliban-led administration in Afghanistan have been strained since August 20221, when the armed group seized power in Kabul. As attacks on Pakistan’s western regions bordering Afghanistan intensified, Islamabad demanded Kabul rein in militants it said were using Afghan soil to launch attacks on Pakistan.
Pakistani top officials, including Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, have said US military equipment left behind during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan has made its way to the TTP, or the Pakistani Taliban.
The ISPR said the commanders resolved that all “terrorists,” their facilitators and abettors who were working at the behest of hostile forces to destabilize Pakistan, would be dealt with the “full might of the state.”
“Forum reiterated Pakistan Army’s resolve to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan against direct and indirect threats,” the army’s media wing said.
The army leadership also condemned Israel’s military offensives in Gaza and pushed for a cease-fire in the Palestinian territories.
“The forum expressed full solidarity with the people of Palestine and condemned serious human rights violations and war crimes being perpetrated in Gaza,” the ISPR said.
Pakistan Army vows to extend ‘necessary’ support to election regulator for polls
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Pakistan Army vows to extend ‘necessary’ support to election regulator for polls
- Pakistan’s army chief General Asim Syed Asim Munir presides over Corps Commanders’ Conference
- Pakistan’s election body this month sought deployment of army troops at polling stations for foolproof security
Islamabad steps up vehicle checks to boost security as 166,000 cars get electronic tags
- Authorities say over 3,000 vehicles registered in past 24 hours as enforcement intensifies
- Extended service hours introduced to push full compliance with digital monitoring system
ISLAMABAD: Authorities in the Pakistani capital have intensified enforcement against vehicles without mandatory electronic tags with more than 166,000 cars now registered, according to data released on Sunday evening, as Islamabad moves to strengthen security and digital monitoring at key entry and exit points.
The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration introduced the electronic tagging system late last year as part of a broader effort to regulate traffic, improve record-keeping and enhance surveillance in a city that hosts the country’s main government institutions, foreign missions and diplomatic enclaves.
Under the system, vehicles are fitted with electronic tags that can be read automatically by scanners installed at checkpoints across the capital, allowing authorities to identify unregistered vehicles without manual inspections. Vehicles already equipped with a motorway tag, or m-tag, are exempt from the requirement.
“A total of 166,888 vehicles have successfully been issued M-Tags so far, including 3,130 vehicles in the last 24 hours,” the ICT administration said, according to the Excise Department.
Officials said readers installed at checkpoints across Islamabad are fully operational and are being used to stop vehicles still without tags, as enforcement teams carry out checks across the city.
To facilitate compliance, authorities have expanded installation facilities and extended operating hours. The Excise Department said m-tag installation is currently available at 17 booth locations, while select centers have begun operating beyond normal working hours.
According to Director General Excise Irfan Memon, m-tag centers at 26 Number Chungi and 18 Meel are providing services round the clock, while counters at Kachnar Park and F-9 Park remain open until midnight to accommodate motorists unable to visit during daytime hours.
Officials said the combination of enforcement and facilitation was aimed at achieving full compliance with minimal disruption, adding that operations would continue until all vehicles operating in the capital are brought into the system.
The enforcement drive builds on a wider push by the federal government to integrate traffic management, emergency response and security monitoring through technology-driven “safe city” initiatives. Last month, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi reviewed Islamabad’s surveillance infrastructure and said reforms in monitoring systems and the effective use of technology were the “need of the hour.”
Authorities have urged motorists to obtain electronic tags promptly to avoid delays and penalties at checkpoints as enforcement continues across the capital.
