Interior ministry approves deployment from Nov 7 to 9 at the ECP’s request, as Gujranwala and Sahiwal vote to fill seats left vacant by the deaths of two PML-N lawmakers.
LAHORE: The federal government has approved the deployment of the Pakistan Army and Punjab Rangers for Sunday’s by-elections in Gujranwala’s NA-77 and Sahiwal’s PP-203, the interior ministry said in a notification, with both forces held in reserve to respond to any trouble rather than posted at polling stations.
The troops will be deployed from Nov. 7 to Nov. 9. Punjab Rangers will serve as the second-tier response force and the army as the third-tier force, both on standby and quick-reaction duty only, according to the notification issued by the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control. Police remain the first line of security.
The deployment was approved at the request of the Election Commission of Pakistan, which wrote to the federal government on Sept. 30 and Oct. 2. Its aim is to ensure the polls are held peacefully, the ministry said.
Two seats, two vacancies
NA-77 Gujranwala-I fell vacant after the death of PML-N veteran Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk in September. The party has fielded his son, Rashid Bashir Virk, against the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League’s Qazi Muhammad Ibrahim Gujjar, among others. In 2024, Virk won the seat with 109,704 votes against 91,825 for the PTI-backed runner-up, and the PMML polled about 3pc. The PMML has been courting PTI and PPP supporters, with the PTI boycotting by-elections.
PP-203 Sahiwal-VI, centred on Chichawatni, is being contested for the third time in barely a year. PTI-backed Rai Murtaza Iqbal won it in 2024 but was disqualified; PML-N’s Chaudhry Muhammad Hanif Jutt then won the November 2025 by-election by a wide margin, defeating independent Falak Sher Dogar. Hanif’s death has triggered this latest vote.
Punjab’s extra security
Calling in the army and Rangers for by-elections is common in Punjab, particularly in constituencies with a history of tension between rival camps. Their tiered deployment means troops are called in only if police need support.
Turnout and the margin of victory will be closely watched in both seats, which the PML-N is expected to retain.
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