The caretaker federal cabinet on Tuesday approved the summary submitted by the ministry of interior regarding the deployment of the armed forces during the upcoming polls slated for February 8, sources said.

The decision was taken during a meeting of the cabinet chaired by caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar.

The ministry had moved the summary earlier today after the Election Commission of Pakistan sought 277,558 army personnel to be deployed across the country to maintain security, and law and order situation across the country in the election 2024, they added.

It is pertinent to mention that the ECP in December 2023 asked for the deployment of army and law enforcement agencies at the polling stations citing a shortage of police personnel.

The Pakistan Army along with Rangers and Frontier Constabulary personnel will perform election duties following the approval by the caretaker federal cabinet.

More than 1,000 civilians and security forces officials were killed, compared with 566 terrorists killed in 2023, one of the deadliest years for Pakistan.

The security forces conducted as many as many as 18,736 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) across the country killing 566 terrorists and some 5,161 were arrested, a report showed.

More than 1,000 Pakistanis were killed in terror attacks during 2023, out of which around 260 were officers and soldiers of the Pakistan Army while hundreds of civilians were the victims of terror attacks.