By-polls: Interior ministry said to have alerted ECP to chances of attacks

ISLAMABAD: The interior ministry has written a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), asking it to hold by-polls “cautiously” in the wake of threat of terrorist attacks, media reports said on Thursday night.

These reports, which could not be verified from the ministry or the ECP, quoted the interior ministry as having written to ECP that terrorists have entered Pakistan from Afghanistan since June this year and their entry was facilitated by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The reported letter said that military and its paramilitary forces were busy in relief operations in flood-hit areas and police alone could not provide adequate security. The letter advised the ECP to hold by-elections “cautiously”.

By-elections are scheduled on 11 legislative seats on October 16. These seats comprise of eight National Assembly and three Punjab Assembly seats.

Three of eight NA seats fall in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; NA-22 Mardan, NA-24 Charsadda and NA-31 Peshawar. Three NA seats fall in Punjab; NA-108 Faisalabad, NA-118 Nankana Sahib and NA-157 Multan. And two NA seats are located in Sindh; NA-237 Malir and NA-239 Korangi.

The three PA seats where by-polls are scheduled are: PP-139 Sheikhupura, PP-209 Khanewal and PP-241 Bahawalnagar.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022