Soldiers and paramilitary troops will stand guard around polling stations in Gujranwala and Sahiwal this Sunday, after the federal government approved the deployment of the Pakistan Army and Punjab Rangers for by-elections in two Punjab constituencies. Polling in NA-77 Gujranwala-I and PP-203 Sahiwal-VI takes place on 8 November 2026, and the security deployment will run from 7 to 9 November.
The NA-77 Gujranwala PP-203 by-elections will see troops in a standby role, supporting the Election Commission of Pakistan rather than running polling stations themselves. The Ministry of Interior issued a formal order for the deployment after the commission asked for security arrangements, and the plan covers the day before polling, polling day and the day after.
Which seats are going to the polls
Voters in NA-77 Gujranwala-I will elect a member of the National Assembly, while voters in PP-203 Sahiwal-VI, covering Tehsil Chichawatni, will elect a member of the Punjab Assembly. Both seats go to the polls on the same day, Sunday 8 November, with polling stations opening across the two constituencies.
The by-elections come at a busy moment for the election machinery. The Election Commission has been handling a string of polls and postponements across the country, including the Election Commission’s recent order postponing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s local government polls, and the two Punjab seats are the latest to be decided by voters.
How the deployment will work
The Punjab Rangers have been approved as the second-tier response force, while the Pakistan Army will act as the third-tier standby and quick-reaction force. Both forces will serve only as standby and quick-reaction units, ready to respond if trouble breaks out around polling stations.
The army’s deployment has been authorised under Article 220 of the Constitution, while the Rangers will be deployed under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. The distinction matters: the Rangers form the second line of response, with the army held back as the third tier, so that the police and civil administration remain the first line on polling day.
Why the Election Commission asked for troops
The Election Commission of Pakistan requested the deployment on 30 September and again on 2 October 2026, asking the federal government to arrange security for the two by-elections. The aim, according to reports, is to ensure the peaceful conduct of the polls and to help the commission maintain security at polling stations.
Troops will assist the commission in keeping polling peaceful, sources told 24 News, with the deployment deliberately timed to cover the full window around voting day. The army and Rangers will be in place from Saturday 7 November, through polling on Sunday, until Monday 9 November, which is also Iqbal Day, a general public holiday across the country.
PTI boycott in Sahiwal
One of the two contests will go ahead without the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. The party announced a complete boycott of the by-election in PP-203 Sahiwal-VI on 6 October, on the directives of its founding chairman Imran Khan. Information Secretary Shaikh Waqas Akram made the announcement in a video message, saying no PTI worker, supporter, office-bearer or activist from Sahiwal would take part in campaigning or any election-related activity at any stage.
Akram added that the party would fully boycott the by-election in line with party policy, and warned that any candidate using the party’s name, flag or election symbol would not have its official backing. Rai Hasan Nawaz, the former MNA and president of PTI West Punjab who was disqualified and de-seated from NA-143 after an anti-terrorism court decision in Faisalabad, told Dawn that the Rai family would neither contest nor support any candidate or political party in the poll.
Ten candidates submitted their nomination papers for the constituency to Returning Officer Khudadad Tarar on the last day for filing, so the PP-203 contest will still be fought even without PTI on the ballot.
What voters will see on polling day
Voters heading to polling stations in Gujranwala and Sahiwal on Sunday will see army and Rangers personnel deployed around the polling areas as standby and quick-reaction forces. The deployment is designed to reassure voters and deter disruption, with troops positioned to move quickly if any polling station reports trouble.
With polling day falling on a Sunday and the deployment running into the Iqbal Day holiday on Monday, the security operation will be visible across both constituencies for three days. The Election Commission will announce the results once counting is complete, and the two winners will take their seats in the National Assembly and the Punjab Assembly respectively.
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