ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Interior Minister Gohar Ejaz firmly dismissed any concerns about a delay in the upcoming general elections, asserting that the polls would proceed as scheduled on February 8, regardless of the prevailing circumstances.
Heightened security issues in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan had raised apprehensions about the feasibility of conducting the elections.
Addressing journalists following a meeting with the electoral body, the interim minister assured, “Elections will be held on February 8, no one should have any confusion on this.” He emphasized that both the election commission and the caretaker government are committed to ensuring the smooth execution of the polls on the designated date.
Amidst a worsening law and order situation in the lead-up to the general elections, a crucial meeting was convened at the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). Participants included the caretaker interior minister, Interior Secretary Aftab Durrani, intelligence officials, chief secretaries, and police chiefs of Balochistan and KP.
Discussions during the meeting centered on the security situation in the two provinces, where attacks on political rallies, offices, and candidates, coupled with terror incidents, have surged in recent weeks.
Following the briefing on the state of law and order in these provinces, ECP sources stated that the situation is under control, and there are no reservations about the conduct of the elections.
In response to the murder of independent candidate Rehan Zeb Khan in Bajaur, the ECP directed the provincial chief secretary and inspector general of police to submit a comprehensive report on the incident. The ECP also took notice of other incidents, including firing on a political party’s convoy in Qila Abdullah district and a grenade attack outside the house of a candidate in Kech district, demanding immediate reports and swift actions against those involved.
Additionally, the ECP addressed a bomb attack at a political party’s election office in Quetta, seeking an immediate report from the Balochistan chief secretary and inspector general of police while instructing actions against the culprits under election laws.
In the aftermath of a deadly blast in Sibi, Balochistan, the United States condemned the attack, stating that it undermined the electoral process. The US State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs expressed concern over the incident, which claimed at least four lives and left several others injured.
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