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The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will hold a crucial meeting to discuss the worsening state of law and order in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, as reported by Geo News.
Reportedly, there has been a surge in attacks on political rallies, offices and candidates, alongside terror incidents, particularly in these two provinces for the last few weeks. Rehan Zeb Khan, a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) youth activist and an independent candidate contesting for the National Assembly seat from Bajaur, NA-8, was shot down by unidentified armed assailants, who opened fire on him in his hometown Bajaur on Wednesday. In the wake of his murder, the ECP directed the provincial chief secretary and inspector general of police to submit a comprehensive report of the incident, an official said, Geo News reported. "The scheduled meeting in Islamabad on Thursday at 3 pm will be attended by the minister and secretary of the interior, chief secretaries, inspectors general of KP and Balochistan, and officials from intelligence agencies," the official emphasised. Following the incident, the ECP took notice of such incidents, noting the firing that took place on a convoy of a political party in the Qila Abdullah district of Balochistan in which one person was killed and a grenade attack outside the house of a candidate of PB-25 constituency in Kech district. Later, the ECP asked for immediate reports from the chief secretary and IG Balochistan and directed for immediate action to be taken against those involved, according to Geo News. Meanwhile, the ECP also took notice of the bomb attack at the election office of a political party in Quetta and sought an immediate report from the Balochistan chief secretary and inspector general of police. It further directed for taking action against the people held accountable, under the election laws. Meanwhile, following the day of the deadly blast that ripped through Balochistan's Sibi, the US condemned the attack, which reportedly killed at least four people and injured several others, Geo News reported. The US State Department's Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs said the attack "undermines the electoral process". Although there were reports of four casualties in the blast, the State Department's post on X, formerly Twitter, stated that the explosion killed "10 people". "The US strongly condemns the attack on the PTI party rally in Sibi killing 10 people, which undermines the electoral process. Pakistani people have the right to choose their leader without fear for the country's stability and prosperity. Our deepest sympathies to those affected," the post read. Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has strongly condemned the attacks on the party's election office in Quetta, Khuzdar and the residences of candidates in Turbat, according to Geo News. " I have just been informed of a 3rd grenade attack on the resident of Agha Shakeel Durrani Pakistan Peoples Party's PB-19 candidate and former district Mayor Khuzdar, Balochistan. I hope and pray no one is hurt," Zardari stated on X. Furthermore, he added that two PPP candidates, former minister Zahoor Buledi and Haji Ali Madad Jattak were targeted in two separate grenade attacks in Balochistan. "I condemn this terrorism in the strongest terms. InshaAllah on Feb 8th we will bury the politics of violence, hate and division at the ballot box. We are the party of martyrs," he said, adding that the PPP cannot and will not be intimidated by cowardly terrorists. (ANI)
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