KP, Balochistan law and order: All eyes on ECP meeting today

PESHAWAR/ ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has scheduled a meeting today (Thursday) to discuss the law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan ahead of the upcoming polls.

An official said that taking notice of the murder of Rehan Zeb Khan, an independent candidate for NA-8 Bajaur and a member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, the ECP has directed the chief secretary and inspector general of police, KP, to submit a comprehensive report about the incident.

Rehan Zeb, a young PTI activist, lost his life when unidentified armed assailants opened fire on him in the Bajaur district on Wednesday.

“The scheduled meeting in Islamabad on Thursday at 3:00 pm will be attended by the minister and secretary of interior, chief secretaries, inspectors general of KP and Balochistan, and officials from intelligence agencies,” stated an official. A number of attacks have taken place in both KP and Balochistan during the last few weeks.

According to media and monitoring teams reports, taking notice of the incidents of firing on a convoy of a political party in 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, the Election Commission has sought immediate reports from the chief secretary and IG Balochistan. It directed for an immediate action to be taken against those involved.

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 chief secretary Balochistan and inspector general of police. It also directed for taking action against the culprits under the election laws.

Meanwhile, a day after a deadly blast ripped through Balochistan’s Sibi, the United States issued a condemnation of the attack that reportedly killed at least four people and injured several others.

The US State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs said the attack “undermines the electoral process”.

Though there were reports of four casualties in the blast, the State Department’s post on microblogging site X stated that the explosion killed “10 people”.

“The US strongly condemns the attack on 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 tweet read.

Meanwhile, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has strongly condemned the attacks on the election office of PPP in Quetta, Khuzdar and the houses of candidates in Turbat.

He took social media platform “X” on Wednesday and said: “ 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.”

He said today 2 PPP candidates former minister Zahoor Buledi and Haji Ali Madad Jattak were targeted in 2 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 that the PPP cannot and will not be intimidated by cowardly terrorists.

Meanwhile, the ECP has fined and issued warnings to numerous candidates and their supporters across KP for violating the code of conduct for the upcoming polls.

A total fine of Rs1.285 million has been imposed by respective district monitoring officers, ranging from Rs5,000 to 50,000 in most cases. An official said the district-wise breakdown of fines included Rs135,000 in Peshawar division, Rs330,000 in Malakand, Rs221,000 in Hazara, Rs105,000 in Mardan, Rs159,000 in Kohat, Rs95,000 in Bannu, and Rs240,000 in Dera Ismail Khan division.

Meanwhile, the ECP has decided that printing in constituencies where ballot papers have to be re-printed will be done after the printing of ballot papers in other constituencies of the country is completed. However, the ECP emphasized that it depends on special security paper and printing with the availability of time. It was noted in the meeting that at a time when the printing of ballot papers for the elections is being completed, the printing of ballot papers has to be done again in some constituencies for which the availability of special security paper required at this stage and the completion of timely printing has become a big challenge.