ISLAMABAD: In a new development, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Haji Ghulam Ali has asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to stage the provincial elections on October 8 in light of a fresh terrorism wave.
In the letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, Ali said it would be in the “best public interest as well as in the interest of the state” if polls were held in October instead of a previous date that he had suggested — May 28.
The letter came as the ECP withdrew an earlier announcement for Punjab’s elections — and announced holding the polls on October 8 instead of April 30 — after security and financial bodies refused to back the commission during the upcoming polls.
The governor noted that recently, a fresh wave of terrorist activities has been taking place in the northwestern province on a daily basis.
He said major terrorist activities include cross-border fire in North Waziristan, an improvised explosive device (IED) blast on an army vehicle in Kohat, heavy exchange of fire with terrorists in South Waziristan on March 15, unknown terrorists fire on Khyber’s Bara Police Station on March 19.
Citing further incidents, he said a terrorist attack took on a police station in DI Khan followed by a search operation by the army, resulting in the martyrdom of three army soldiers on the night between March 21 and 22.
Also, he said, on March 21, a convoy was ambushed in South Waziristan which resulted in the martyrdom of Brigadier Mustafa Kamal Barki from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and injuries to seven other personnel.
More to follow…
