The ECP issued a warning against holding polls in K-P.
Despite the red signal, the electoral board in Punjab has announced that polls will be held on April 30.
ISLAMABAD: The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan is active in the province and currently poses a serious security danger, hence the security services have urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) not to hold elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Security agency representatives revealed that threats also existed in numerous districts of Punjab during an ECP meeting on election security on Friday, which was presided over by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja.
Officials from the Intelligence Bureau, Counter-Terrorism Department, and Inter-Services Intelligence expressed the opinion that the atmosphere did not favor holding elections for either assembly.
Nonetheless, the commission set April 30 as the date for the province’s 36 districts to hold elections for Punjab Assembly seats.
Next Monday, the ECP will call the director general of Military Operations and the secretary of defense. A judgment about the elections in K-P will be made after hearing from the chief secretaries and inspector generals of police.
According to the CEC, “It will be easier to take various judgments about the peaceful conduct of the election” in light of the briefing.
Officers from the Ministry of Defence and sensitive institutions joined the ECP members and officials during the meeting as well. Also, the placement on duty was discussed.
The ECP will reportedly make significant judgments regarding election security the following week after hearing from all the institutions.
In a casual interaction with media, ECP Secretary Umar Hameed Khan stated that it is important to keep sensitive institutions informed of the reality on the ground. “With the sensitive institutions’ briefing, our knowledge grew. Moreover, the director general of Military Operations will brief the audience. Following an informational session with all parties involved, the Electoral Commission will decide.
In addition to asking for 350,000 more candidates for the polls, the Election Commission raised security concerns with the governments of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
According to the sources, the ECP requested 56,000 more law enforcement officers in K-P and 297,000 more from other law enforcement agencies in Punjab while informing the authorities.
In a briefing, the officials stated that approximately 52,000 voting places would be set up in Punjab and 15,000 in K-P.
The extremely sensitive polling places would be identified by the district returning officers (DROs), who will also need to provide security personnel from other agencies and CCTV cameras.
Punjab elections
For the election in Punjab, the ECP has appointed 36 DROs, 297 ROs, and 294 assistant ROs. They were all chosen from the bureaucracy to join the team.
In Punjab’s 36 districts, the deputy commissioners have been given the duty of DROs.
The ECP has issued a notification in this regard.
The notice states that Captain (ret.) Waseem, Deputy Secretary of Irrigation, has been appointed DRO, Lahore.
In 29 of the Lahore Provincial Assembly’s constituencies, ROs and assistant ROs have been appointed.
From Lahore’s PP-144 to PP-173 constituencies, elections will be held.
The Punjab CEC has been designated as the RO for the seats set aside for women and underrepresented groups. Also, a notification has been made in this regard.
The ECP emphasized that officials were chosen based on their background in administration and level of skill.
The notification stated, “The commission is committed to ensuring that the elections are free, fair, and transparent and has taken many measures to guarantee that the electoral process is performed successfully.
The ECP asked all political parties, candidates, and voters to work with the chosen officials and follow the electoral process’s norms and regulations. It also urged all parties involved to forgo any actions that would taint the election’s integrity or cause it to be disrupted.
