Due to the deteriorating law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has called a meeting at 3 o'clock tomorrow.
According to the 24News HD TV channel, the Interior Minister and Interior Secretary will attend the meeting. Apart from the Chief Secretaries of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, IGs will also participate.
The channel reported that the representatives of other intelligence agencies have also been invited to participate in the meeting to review the law and order situation in both provinces.
Terror incidents uptick in KP, Balochistan
A leader of Awami National Party (ANP) was shot dead in Killa Abdullah town of Balochistan today (Wednesday). Today’s incident comes as Pakistan has recently witnessed an uptick in terror activities, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
ANP leader Zahoor Ahmad was sitting in party office in Mezai Adda area of Killa Abdullah when unidentified gunmen sprayed it with bullets. Zahoor Ahmad died on the spot while a worker, identified as Moeen Khan, was injured in the attack.
Yesterday, at least four people were killed while five were wounded in a bomb blast at a PTI rally in Balochistan’s Sibi. The explosion occurred at a PTI election rally organised by party-backed candidate Saddam Tareen, who is contesting the upcoming polls from the NA-253 (Ziarat) constituency.
On Monday last, Aurangzeb Khan, an ANP candidate, was attacked in Shangla, resulting in injuries to his driver. According to the police, Aurangzeb Khan, the ANP candidate for National Assembly constituency NA-11, was shot by unidentified gunmen.
The assault came after a protracted gunfight that broke out between the assailants and the ANP candidate's guards.
Seven militants lost their lives the day before when security personnel stopped three terror strikes in Mach. Achakzai claims that there is a clearance operation in progress there.
A PTI-backed candidate's home was the scene of an explosion on Sunday that left two persons hurt. Throughout the onslaught, Malik Shah Muhammad Khan was unharmed.
Former MNA Mohsin Dawar, who was traveling in his convoy in the Tapi area of Miramshah tehsil in KP's North Waziristan, escaped an armed attack earlier this month. Dawar's convoy was attacked during an electoral rally. The attackers fired first and then ran away.
Qari Khairullah of JUI-F also barely avoided a roadside bomb in Bajaur on the same day.
Anwaarul Haq Kakar, the acting prime minister, established a high-level committee last week to supervise security for the approaching general elections. The committee will be in charge of managing the security plans for the general elections as per the terms of reference (ToRs). Additionally, it will examine and settle issues pertaining to coordination and administrative setup for a seamless general election process.
In 2023, Pakistan saw 1,524 violence-related deaths and 1,463 injuries from 789 terror incidents and counter-terror operations, according to the Centre for Research and Security Studies' annual report on security concerns. This was a record six-year high.
According to the security report, KP and Balochistan were the main hotspots for violence, accounting for 84% of attacks and over 90% of all fatalities, including acts of terrorism and security force operations.
Reporter: Usman Khan