Terror attacks during by-polls cannot be ruled out: IG KP briefs ECP

• ECP discussed matters related to conducting elections in KP
• CEC emphasized on appointing impartial officers during elections
• IG KP said FC and Pakistan Army personnel will be required during polls

ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) held a meeting and discussed matters related to conducting general elections and by-polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja chaired a meeting to discuss the security and political situation with provincial authorities before announcing the election date and conducting polls on vacant National Assembly seats next month.

Chief Secretary Imdadullah Bosal and Inspector-General Police (IGP) Moazzam Jah Ansari Khyber Pakhtunkhwa attended the meeting, along with ECP Secretary Omar Hamid Khan. At the outset of the meeting, they offered fateha for the martyrs of the Peshawar Police Lines blast.

During the meeting, CEC emphasized on appointing impartial officers during elections. He said all administrative officers posted in the province should be transferred based on their neutrality in political matters.

He said any complaints against returning officers and district returning officers during by-elections should be sent to the election commission for immediate action.

Chief Secretary KP assured to implement the instructions of the election commission. He said impartial officers will be appointed in all districts before the elections.  He said they are demanding the federal government to increase the election budget.

IG KP said the police force is facing a shortage of 57,000 personnel to conduct the elections. He said the additional police forces will be called from Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, but still the required personnel will not be met.

The police chief said Frontier Corps and Pakistan Army personnel will be required to meet the shortage of police force.

Briefing on the security situation, IG KP informed the meeting that there were 494 attacks on police in 2022.  So far in 2023, 93 personnel have been martyred in 46 attacks, he added. Furthermore, 119 policemen were martyred in 494 attacks in 2022.

IG KP said the possibility of terrorist activities during elections cannot be ruled out. It cannot be said that the upcoming elections will be completely peaceful, he warned,

Chief Election Commissioner said they are in contact with Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Defence for the deployment of Pakistan Army and FC during the elections.

He instructed to complete working regarding the deployment of Army and FC in elections. He said the election commission should be informed so that the institutions can be contacted.

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