PDM chief says Pak Army should stay away from election process

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said the army and intelligence agencies should not be involved in the election process and for security purposes, the police are sufficient.

"The main point is that the army and intelligence agencies should not be involved in the entire election process. I think deployment of troops at the polling station is also an insult to the army, as our police can fulfil this task," Dawn quoted JUI-F chief as saying at a press conference on Sunday.

When asked about the government's move to provide voting rights to overseas Pakistanis in the next general elections, the JUI-F chief said: "We can't protect polling stations in Pakistan. Then who will ensure sanctity of ballot papers abroad?"

He was of the opinion that the government was only trying to make the electoral process more ambiguous and controversial, Dawn reported.

He further said security situation in the merged tribal districts was deteriorating day by day and it seemed new militant groups had surfaced in the areas along the Afghan border.

"We are suspicious about surge in the targeted killing and resurgence of new terrorist groups in the region and these developments are happening under the nose of the institutions," he said, adding that the question was why the security forces had made tall claims that terrorism had been wiped out from the tribal districts.

Earlier, JUI-F chief announced a new round of rallies against Prime Minister Imran Khan's government in Karachi and Swat.

The PDM, an alliance of the opposition parties, will hold its first rally in Swat on July 4 and the second one in Karachi on July 29, Samaa News quoted Fazl as saying in Peshawar.

( With inputs from ANI )