ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Federal Minister for Commerce, Industries and Production Gohar Ejaz was given the additional portfolio of the Ministry of Interior on Wednesday.
Former interior minister Sarfraz Bugti had resigned from the position last month citing “some personal reasons”. He later joined the PPP to contest the upcoming February 8 general elections.
In a notification issued today, the cabinet division said: “The Prime Minister, in terms of rule 3(4) of the Rules of Business, 1973, has been pleased to assign the portfolio of Interior to Mr [Gohar] Ejaz […] with immediate effect.”
Following the appointment, Gohar assumed office as the 48th interior minister of Pakistan, the ministry said in a social media post. It added that the newly appointed minister met senior personnel at the ministry and was briefed regarding its affairs and subsidiaries.
The development comes at a time when Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror attacks, raising concerns about the security situation during the upcoming polls.
A day earlier, the caretaker federal cabinet approved the deployment of troops and civil armed forces personnel on polling stations and sensitive constituencies during the Feb 8 polls.
Sources told the interior ministry had moved a summary to the cabinet, suggesting the deployment of the army as a quick response force to maintain peace and security, ensuring a smooth and transparent electoral process.
Later, the cabinet approved the summary, which said the army troops and civil armed forces to be deployed in sensitive areas would also serve as a rapid response force.
The deployment of troops was demanded by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), citing a shortage of 275,000 security officials required for the election duty.
The ECP had already written to the interior ministry mentioning a shortfall of 277,558 security officials needed to ensure safe and secure polling nationwide.
According to information received by the ECP from the federal and provincial governments, there was a shortfall of 169,110 personnel in Punjab, 18,500 in Sindh, 56,717 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 13,769 in Balochistan and 4,500 in Islamabad. The letter requested immediate arrangements for deploying Pakistan Army and other security forces at polling stations.
The commission had reportedly mentioned a specific case of Islamabad, where a shortfall of 4,500 personnel threatened to disrupt the electoral process as the available security staff was 4,500 against a requirement of 9,000.
The ECP sought deployment of army personnel amidst a surge in militant attacks, killing more than 700 security personnel and civilians in the first nine months of 2023.
