Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Mohammad yesterday said the largest expense with regards to the 2018 general elections was incurred on the training of polling officials, which includes training of troops. Speaking to reporters after the end of polling time, Yaqoob disclosed that the finance ministry has paid Rs9 billion to the Pakistan Army to provide security during the elections across the country. The 2018 elections are expected to cost the federal kitty more than three times the cost of the last two elections put together, with a major part of it likely flowing to the armed forces for the deployment of troops, Dawn reported earlier this week. The 2008 general elections cost Rs1.84bn out of the federal budget. It surged to Rs4.73bn for the 2013 elections, showing an increase of almost 157 percent. The Pakistan Army was paid Rs758 million in the 2013 elections compared to Rs120m in 2008. Another major increase in the expenditure was caused by the use of imported watermarked ballot papers for the first time.