Govt to decide how long army will remain deployed in the field

The Army Headquarters today (13 November) said the interim government will determine how long the military will remain deployed to assist the civil administration in maintaining law and order.

Given the prevailing situation in the country, the army was engaged in supporting the law-and-order forces to maintain stability, said General Staff Officer Colonel Intekhab Haider Khan at a press conference at the Army Headquarters.

Reading out a written statement, he said the army is protecting the lives and property of the people, the state's most important installations (KPIs) and important government and private organisations, while it was helping the police force become operational again, alongside carrying out other duties to ensure that the interim government can properly discharge its responsibilities.

He also said the army so far recovered a total of two lakh rounds of ammunition and has detained more than 2,500 people involved.

Army personnel controlled more than 700 types of disorderly situations, of which, 141 were related to educational institutions, 86 were related to government agencies, 98 were political conflicts and 388 were other types of incidents, Colonel Intekhab said.

The army is also helping to keep the ready-made garment (RMG) factories running by mediating any protest or ensuring safety where needed, he said.

When the eastern and southeastern regions of the country were hit by severe flash floods in August-September, members of the army, at the request of the local administration, rescued people in danger, distributed relief and provided emergency medical services to all affected areas, including remote areas, in collaboration with the local administration and volunteers, said the army officer.

In addition, the army played an active role in helping restore mobile connectivity in the affected areas, maintaining traffic on the highway, repairing damaged embankments and roads, and post-flood rehabilitation, which is still ongoing, he said.

Later, in October, when four districts in the central-northern region of the country were hit by floods, members of the army similarly participated in rescue, distribution of relief and emergency medical services at the request of the local administration, Colonel Intekhab said.

In addition to maintaining law and order, the army has taken measures to provide proper medical treatment to those injured during various periods of the anti-discrimination student movement, he said. 

To date, 3,295 people have been provided treatment at various CMHs in the country, out of which 43 are still undergoing treatment, the army official added.

On 17 September, the government granted executive magisterial powers to army officers of the rank of captain and above to facilitate the discharge of their duties, which is still ongoing.

Initiatives have been taken at all levels of the army to ensure the magisterial powers are exercised in a fair and systematic manner.

Due to the effective exercise of this special power, several critical situations such as the arrest of identified criminals, control of chaos in industrial areas, road blockades, etc have already improved the overall law and order situation.