As the Pakistani federal government's decision to deploy army to secure Islamabad came into effect on Aug 1, army troops will now be guarding sensitive buildings in the state.
According to the Dawn, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had revealed last week that the government had issued a notification on July 24 to requisition services of the armed forces under Article 245 of the Constitution.
Khan had said that 352 troops were being requisitioned to assist police and other civic agencies secure Islamabad, adding they would be deployed from August 1 at the call of district magistrate and operate under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997.
An unnamed senior police official said that army troops arrived in Islamabad just after the launch of the Zarb-i-Azb operation in mid June but had to wait for a legal cover for their deployment, the report said.
He said at least five companies of army will be deployed at the Presidency, the Prime Minister's House, the Parliament House, buildings of the judiciary, the Foreign Office, Diplomatic Enclave and some other important buildings.
Earlier, the Pakistan army said it was not making any fresh deployment of troops in Islamabad for the federal capital's security.
Pakistan military spokesman Maj Gen Asim Bajwa said that no additional troops were being deployed in Islamabad other than the forces placed in the capital on June 15 for security duties at the time of the launch of the Zarb-i-Azb operation in North Waziristan.
The statement came following news that the federal government's decision to deploy the army in Islamabad under Article 245 of the Constitution went into effect on Friday.
Reports suggest that Pakistan government sought military assistance, as it felt threatened by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's (PTI) upcoming long march on Independence Day.
