Border with Iran, Afghanistan to remain closed on election day

Normal operations would resume on Friday, says FO spokesperson

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan has decided to close its border with neighbouring Afghanistan and Iran for all purposes on February 8 to ensure security during the polling.

The announcement about the closure of the border was made by the Foreign Office (FO) on Wednesday.

“To ensure full security during the general elections to be held in Pakistan on 8 Feb 2024, border crossings with Afghanistan and Iran would remain closed both for cargo and pedestrians. Normal operations would resume on 9 Feb 2024,” said a terse statement issued by FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch.

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Officials said both countries were informed about the decision of Pakistan. The border crossings with Afghanistan at Torkham and Chaman were frequently shut in the recent past due to tensions between the two countries.

However, the border with Iran remained open last month when both countries were involved in tit-for-tat missile exchanges.

Around 128 million voters are set to go to the polls on Thursday to elect members of the national assembly and four provincial assemblies.

Also read: At least 24 killed as twin bombings rock Balochistan's Pishin, Qilla Saifullah

Security has been beefed up ahead of the crucial polling with the deployment of army troops. Almost half of over 90,000 polling stations nationwide have been declared sensitive. Many polling stations in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have been identified as highly sensitive.

Balochistan in particular has seen a sudden spike in terrorist attacks in the run-up to the polls. Twin terrorist attacks rocked Pishin and Qilla Saifullah on Wednesday, leaving scores of people dead and injuring dozens.

The back-to-back attacks in two districts of Balochistan targeting the election offices of candidates raised questions about the security arrangement.

Despite a surge in terrorist attacks, authorities were adamant that elections would take place as scheduled in the province.

The K-P province has also been on high alert ahead of the polling. Terrorist attacks have been almost a daily occurrence in the province in recent weeks. On February 5, at least 10 police officials were martyred when terrorists stormed the police station in Dera Ismail Khan.

The attack was the latest in a series of incidents that rocked the province bordering Afghanistan.

Observers believe that given the uptick in violence, there is going to be a huge challenge for authorities and law enforcement agencies to ensure trouble-free polls on Thursday in both provinces.

There are fears that polling stations and security personnel guarding them are vulnerable. However, relevant authorities were confident that they would not let terrorists spoil the democratic exercise.