ECP turns down PTI request to deploy army in cantonment board elections

• Election Commission of Pakistan rejects PTI's request to deploy army in cantonment board elections.
• Polls are scheduled for September 12 for 42 cantonment boards across country.
• The elections have been pending since 2019 because of coronavirus pandemic.

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has rejected the PTI's request for army deployment during the upcoming cantonment board elections, Geo News reported Saturday, citing sources.

The ECP informed the PTI of its decision in writing, the sources said.

Earlier, the PTI had requested for the deployment of the Pakistan Army in the cantonment board elections, which are scheduled for September 12 for the 42 cantonment boards across the country.

The request was made to "maintain law and order" and "ensure transparency", as per a letter by PTI chief organiser Senator Saif-ullah Khan Nyazee to Chief Ele¬ction Com¬m¬issioner (CEC) Sikan¬dar Sultan Raja.

The September 12 cantonment board elections will be the first grassroots level electoral contest between the country’s arch rival political parties after the 2018 general elections.

The polls have been pending since 2019 because of the coronavirus pandemic and re-demarcation of wards in the cantonments.