The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has planned a meeting today to discuss the law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan before the upcoming elections.
This meeting is crucial due to recent incidents, including the unfortunate killing of Rehan Zeb Khan, an independent candidate for NA-8 Bajaur and a member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The ECP has directed the chief secretary and inspector general of police in KP to provide a detailed report on Rehan Zeb’s murder. The scheduled meeting in Islamabad will include key officials, such as the minister and secretary of the interior, chief secretaries, inspectors general of KP and Balochistan, and representatives from intelligence agencies.
Recent attacks have occurred in both KP and Balochistan, prompting the Election Commission to seek immediate reports on incidents, such as firing on a political party convoy and a grenade attack outside a candidate’s house. The ECP emphasizes taking prompt action against those involved, following the election laws.
In response to a deadly blast in Balochistan’s Sibi, the United States strongly condemned the attack, expressing concern about its impact on the electoral process. The State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs stated that such attacks undermine the democratic process, emphasizing the right of the Pakistani people to choose their leaders without fear.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has also condemned attacks on the PPP election office in Quetta, Khuzdar, and the houses of candidates in Turbat. He expressed concern over grenade attacks on PPP candidates and vowed to resist the politics of violence and division.
Additionally, the ECP has taken disciplinary actions, imposing fines and warnings on candidates and their supporters across KP for violating the code of conduct for the upcoming polls. District monitoring officers have imposed fines totaling Rs1.285 million, with amounts ranging from Rs5,000 to Rs50,000 in most cases.
The ECP has decided that re-printing of ballot papers in constituencies will be done after completing the printing in other areas. However, this depends on the availability of special security paper and time constraints. The ECP acknowledges the challenges in timely printing due to the need for special security paper in some constituencies.