Over 4,000 Rangers personnel deployed in Lahore, Rawalpindi

• Rangers has been deployed in Rawalpindi, Lahore districts
• Punjab govt sought deployment of the paramilitary over law and order situation
• Pakistan Rangers Punjab will act as Quick Response Force

LAHORE: The federal government has deployed Pakistan Rangers in two districts of Punjab at the request of the provincial government, Bol News reported.

The Ministry of Interior has deployed 4,000 paramilitary personnel in Lahore and Rawalpindi districts. The Punjab government had forwarded the summary to the federal cabinet for approval seeking the deployment of law enforcement agencies in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan districts.

The provincial government has sought the deployment of Rangers to maintain law and order amid rising concerns over the worsening security situation in the province following the election of chief minister.

A notification has also been issued in this regard over the deployment of Pakistan Rangers Punjab under as Quick-Response Force (QRF) under Section 4(3)(i) of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.

The decision came after Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hamza Shehbaz was re-elected as the chief minister of Punjab.  The victory was contentious after Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari rejected ten votes of the PML-Q.

Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Mazari ruled that the votes of PML-Q lawmakers will not be counted in the election of Punjab chief minister citing a letter by party chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, thereby allowing Hamza Shehbaz to retain the seat after a thin margin of three votes.

Hamza Shehbaz got 179 votes after losing a majority in the Punjab Assembly. Pervaiz Elahi – the joint candidate of PTI and PPP – got 186 votes but ten votes were not counted, hence bringing down the figure to 176.

After the election, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan called for peaceful protests across the country over the decision.

Imran Khan also announced approaching the Supreme Court against the ruling of Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari. “Now all eyes are on the Supreme Court,” he stressed.

On call of the PTI leader, a large number of party activists and supporters gathered in the streets of towns and cities across the country on Friday night. They raised slogans against the coalition government and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.

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