‘Spring Offensive’ a threat to K-P polls

Provincial Chief secretary, top cop say they cannot guarantee peace

ISLAMABAD:

In light of a recent spate of terror activities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the relevant authorities have raised alarms about the upcoming assembly elections due to the involvement of terrorists in the “Spring Offensive” expected to intensify from April to October.

The K-P chief secretary and inspector general police expressed the concerns while briefing the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) during a meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja on Friday.

They maintained that they were not in a position to guarantee peace during the general elections due to a bad law and order situation, financial woes and shortage of 56,000 police personnel.

The K-P IG highlighted the alarming increase in terror incidents in the region. He revealed that various terrorist groups operating from different provinces in Afghanistan, including Badakhshan, Nuristan, Kantar, Nangarhar, Paktika and others, have been involved in terrorist activities in the province.

According to the IG, the province witnessed a total of 495 terror incidents in the year 2022, while the current year has already seen 118 incidents resulting in 100 fatalities and 275 injuries. The increase in terrorist activities has raised serious concerns about the security situation in the region.

He said that the law and order situation was not suitable for elections in several southern provinces, including North Waziristan, Lakki Marvat, Bannu, Tank, and Dera Ismael Khan. Additionally, he told that the situation in the newly merged districts of erstwhile FATA was also not conducive to holding elections.

The IGP stated that providing security for elections was not a one-day activity and that the police would need to ensure the safety of election gatherings, rallies and political leaders during their campaigns.

He added that holding separate provincial and national assembly elections would double the expenditures and increase the dangers for law enforcement agencies. It would also put voters and election staff in danger twice, he added.

The provincial chief secretary reported that the provincial government was facing a significant pecuniary deficit of Rs 19 billion, with an additional Rs 1.6 billion required for provincial assembly elections. The chief secretary clarified that these expenses would be in addition to any expenditures incurred by the ECP on the elections.

During the meeting, it was stressed that deploying Pakistan Army and FC was essential to maintain peace during the electioneering process, as the provincial police alone cannot cope with the challenges.

The ECP has reiterated that holding peaceful and timely elections was a constitutional and legal obligation. The ECP acknowledged the problems faced by the provincial government but stressed the importance of fulfilling its constitutional obligation to ensure free and fair elections. The Commission also consulted with stakeholders, including the Ministry of Finance, Defense, Interior, Intelligence Agencies, Intelligence Bureau, ISI, CTT, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.