STAFF REPORT
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday decided that army troops would not be deployed at polling stations, as at least 15 more people were injured in attacks on election candidates in various parts of the country.
Finalising its security plan for the general election scheduled for May 11, the ECP decided that seven security personnel would be deployed on the most sensitive polling stations, five on moderately sensitive and four on the remaining from May 10. The army will only be utilised as a quick response force in emergency with 20 to 30 personnel in each squad, it was decided.
As the ECP came out with its election security plan, election candidates of various political parties remained under attack from elements bent upon disrupting the first democratic transition of government in Pakistan.
PML-N ELECTION OFFICE TARGETED
Unknown armed men hurled a hand-held bomb at an office of the Pakistan Muslim League-League-Nawaz (PML-N) in Arbab Ghulam Ali road area of Quetta.
Police said militants hurled the bomb at the election office of PML-N leader Haji Lashkari Raisani. They said four party activists were injured in the attack.
The injured were immediately rushed to civil hospital Quetta for medical treatment. However Raisani was not hurt in the attack.
Police said armed men were riding a motorcycle and escaped unhurt from the spot. The blast also damaged the election office of Raisani.
Lashkari Raisani is contesting election on PB-4 from Quetta city on the ticket of PML-N. He is the younger brother of former chief minister Balochistan Nawab Aslam Raisani.
JUI-F RALLY ATTACKED:
At least 10 people were injured when militants fired eight rockets at an election rally of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) in Harnai district of insurgency-hit Balochistan province. The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.
Police officials said the rockets were fired from an unknown location. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
SHIKARPUR SUICIDE ATTACK:
Furthermore, at least two people were injured in a suicide attack which occurred near the convoy of National People’s Party candidate Dr Ibrahim Jatoi at Shikarpur toll plaza. Jatoi remained unhurt in the attack.
DERA MURAD JAMALI ATTACK:
In another incident, three people were injured when a bomb exploded in Balochistan’s Dera Murad Jamali region. The blast took place near the convoy of an independent candidate for PB-32, Allah Dino, in the district’s Kachchi Pul area.
MINGORA ATTACK:
An election candidate of the Awami National Party (ANP) also escaped an attack in the Mingora district of Swat valley.
According to initial reports, unidentified gunmen opened fire on the convoy of Wajid Ali Khan, who is contesting on PK-80 constituency in Swat.
TERROR BIDS FOILED:
The bomb disposal squad (BDS) foiled two terror bids in Peshawar by defusing bombs targeting election candidates of the Awami National Party (ANP) and Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N).
BDS officials said the first improvised explosive device was planted to target the ANP’s provincial assembly candidate for the PK-8 seat, Arbab Nazir in Mathra. Officials said the bomb, weighing five kilogrammes and planted in a tin can was defused near Nazir’s election office.