The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has declared on Thursday that it is determined and ready to conduct upcoming elections on February 8 as per schedule, despite facing security challenges in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.
With only one week remaining until the February 8 polls, election preparations and campaigns are in full swing. However, the country is grappling with a series of violent incidents that have led to multiple deaths, particularly at political party rallies in the two provinces most affected by terrorism.
Law enforcers have tightened security across the country to maintain law and order during the upcoming general elections.
“The February 8 polls will take place on time. Though the security challenges exist but the election commission is fully ready [to hold the elections], and with the help of Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) and Pakistan Army, the elements involved in hindering the electoral process and disrupting security situation will be dealt strictly,” Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja said during the ECP’s security meeting.
On Thursday evening, the electoral body held an important meeting on the worsening law and order situation in two provinces.
After the meeting ended, the ECP released a statement saying that the CEC voiced concerns about the worsening security situation in KP and Balochistan. However, he emphasised that the electoral process will continue despite the challenges.
At least one person was killed and four injured as multiple blasts occurred on Thursday in different areas of Balochistan, including the provincial capital, Quetta, the police confirmed.
The blast took place in the Spinny Road area of Quetta. Police have cordoned off the area and are figuring out what caused the explosion.
Blasts also happened in Turbat and Naseerabad district.
According to the police, at least three people were injured when a hand grenade exploded at the Dera Allah Yar Bhatti gate area in Naseerabad, while one person was injured in a grenade blast in Turbat’s main market.
Bomb disposal squads and rescue teams have arrived at the site of the blast in Quetta, where, according to police, at least one person has died in the explosion.
According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Quetta, Tariq Jawad, eight to 10 kg of explosives were used in the blast in Quetta.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is set to conduct a crucial meeting today, focusing on the worsening state of law and order in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, as general elections are set to take place on February 8, The News reported on Thursday.
In the past few weeks, there has been a significant increase in attacks on political rallies, camp offices, and candidates, as well as terror incidents, especially in the two restive provinces.
The ECP directed KP’s chief secretary and inspector general of police to submit a detailed report on the murder of independent candidate, Rehan Zeb Khan, contesting for the National Assembly (NA) seat from NA-8 Bajur.
The unidentified persons gunned down the young political activist on Wednesday in his hometown while he was canvassing for votes.
An ECP notification stated that “The scheduled meeting in Islamabad on Thursday at 3pm will be attended by the minister and secretary of interior, chief secretaries, inspectors general of KP and Balochistan, and officials from intelligence agencies.”
ECP also asked for an immediate report from the Balochistan chief secretary and inspector general of police on the bomb attack at a political party’s election office.
Unknown men targeted the election offices of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the National Party (NP) in Balochistan on Sunday, ahead of the highly anticipated nationwide elections set to take place on February 8.
The two grenade blasts have sparked concerns about security measures leading up to next month’s general polls, while election campaigns of all political parties are underway throughout the country.
Unknown men lobbed a grenade at the NP election office in Mastung district, leaving two people wounded following its explosion at Muhammad Shahi Road, police said, noting that the attackers managed to flee from the scene.
The police quickly took the injured people to the hospital. The police force launched a search operation in the area to catch the culprits.
The NP spokesperson strongly condemned the “cowardly” grenade attack, stating that despite such “cowardly acts,” they will continue to push forward with campaign efforts at an accelerated pace.
On the other hand, unidentified miscreants threw a hand grenade at a PPP election office in the Qalat district, specifically in the Mangocher area. There were no reported casualties in this incident.
In a significant development, the Sindh High Court (SHC) has granted a three-week deadline to the Federal Defence Ministry and the Sindh Home Department to submit a comprehensive report on all detention camps across the country.
The directive came from a two-judge bench, with Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto presiding, during a hearing on Thursday concerning petitions related to the recovery of missing persons.
The bench took cognizance of the case after one petitioner revealed that her husband, Tahir Rehan, had been missing since 2015, with no investigative action taken by the police.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the public prosecutor’s claim of providing Rs500,000 in compensation, the petitioner asserted that she had not received any such compensation.
The Sindh Home Department officially announced the suspension of compensation payments to families of missing persons, as revealed in a report submitted to the Sindh High Court.
The court had directed the submission of a comprehensive report to federal authorities, including the Interior Secretary and Defense Secretary, concerning applications related to compensation for families of missing persons.
In a proactive measure, the court ordered the publication of advertisements in both print and electronic media to aid in the search for Shahri Majid, missing since 2015.
Additionally, the court directed the gathering of information on missing persons from jail authorities and various locations across the country.
Following Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar, Pakistan and Iran have mutually agreed that ambassadors of both countries will return to their respective posts by January 26, 2024 and the Iranian Foreign Minister is going to visit on January 29, 2024.
In a joint statement issued on Monday, the Foreign Office said that at the invitation of Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian will undertake a visit to Pakistan on January 29.
In a post on X, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Iran Mudassir Tipu said he was “so delighted that leaderships of both Pakistan and Iran so deftly handled a challenging moment astutely- swiftly putting relations back on track”.
I am so delighted that leaderships of both and so deftly handled a challenging moment astutely- swiftly putting relations back on track. We have great potential ahead & both brotherly countries must collectively promote peace & development in region .
Along with that the Foreign Office (FO) said on Monday that Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian would visit Pakistan on January 29.
The visit comes days after tensions escalated between the two countries following an Iranian air strike in Pakistan, leading Islamabad to strike terrorist hideouts in the neighbouring country’s Sistan-Baluchestan province.
“Following the telephone conversation between the foreign ministers of Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran, it has been mutually agreed that ambassadors of both countries may return to their respective posts by January 26, 2024,” the FO said in a statement.
The FO said that the Iranian foreign minister would travel to Pakistan on Jan 29 at the invitation of FM Jilani.
: PR NO. 2️⃣3️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣4️⃣
Joint Press Statement of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran
Previously, Pakistan has targeted terrorist hideouts inside Iran in response to the violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard that killed two children and injured three girls.
Hideouts used by terrorist organisations namely Balochistan Liberation Army and Balochistan Liberation Front were successfully struck in an intelligence based operation, code name ‘Marg Bar Sarmachar’, ISPR has stated in a recently released statement.
According to a statement by the Foreign Office (FO), a number of terrorists were killed during the intelligence-based operation codenamed ‘Marg Bar Sarmachar’. Meanwhile, Iran’s IRNA news agency reported that nine people, including seven “non-Iranian nationals”, were killed in the strike targeting a village near the city of Saravan.
The Khorasan Diary reported, that “7 BLF millitants involved in attacks in Pakistan have been killed/injured in Pakistan’s strikes in Iran.”
7 BLF MILITANTS INVOLVED IN ATTACKS IN PAKISTAN HAVE BEEN KILLED/INJURED IN PAKISTANS STRIKES IN IRAN.
A top Pakistani security official told The Khorasan Diary that 7 militants wanted to Pakistan have been killed or injured in the strike in Shamesar, Iran.
In a video posted, it can be seen the damage caused by Pakistani Strikes in approximately 200 kilometres away from PAK-Iran border.
TKD MONITORING: A video uploaded by news outlets of Saravan city at dawn shows at least one site hit by Pakistan early this morning. Multiple bodies are under the debris it states. Saravan city in Sistan wa Balochistan province of Iran is approximately 200 kilometres from… pic.twitter.com/LrLr58iMBO
Publication The Khorasan Diary also claimed that Jaishul Adal, the same militant group, Iran claimed to have targeted has taken the responsibility for the attack on Saravan Corps of Sistan Wa Baluchistan province, Colonel Hossein Ali Javadanfar, adding that the security official was assassinated along with two of his guards.”
ALERT: The deputy commander of the Saravan Corps of Sistan Wa Baluchistan province, Colonel Hossein Ali Javadanfar, was shot dead when he was returning from an administrative mission on the Khash-Zahedan road, Iran. Iranian state media reported. Jaishul Adal, a militant group… pic.twitter.com/LiizDcCVFT
Previously, The Iranian strikes were part of a series of attacks carried out by the country in recent days in Syria and Iraq as a response to recent terrorist attacks on its territory. They have heightened concerns about regional stability, particularly amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
Pakistan undertook a series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes against terrorist hideouts in Siestan-o-Baluchistan province of Iran. A number of terrorists were killed during the Intelligence-based operation – codenamed ‘Marg Bar Sarmachar’, says the official statement released by the Foreign Office of Pakistan.
“Last night’s unprovoked and blatant breach of Pakistan’s sovereignty by Iran is a violation of international law and the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,” FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement on Wednesday.
A context to the response by the Foreign Office
Foreign Ofiice of Pakistan provided a detailed context to Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar.
“Over the last several years, in our engagements with Iran, Pakistan has consistently shared its serious concerns about the safe havens and sanctuaries enjoyed by Pakistani origin terrorists calling themselves Sarmachars on the ungoverned spaces inside Iran. Pakistan also shared multiple dossiers with concrete evidence of the presence and activities of these terrorists. However, because of lack of action on our serious concerns, these so-called Sarmachars continued to spill the blood of innocent Pakistanis with impunity. This morning’s action was taken in light of credible intelligence of impending large-scale terrorist activities by these so called Sarmachars,” the statement read.
The Foreign Office described the action as a part of its resolve to “defend its national security against all threats.” Moreover it mainatianed that “Pakistan fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The sole objective of today’s act was in pursuit of Pakistan’s own security and national interest which is paramount and cannot be compromised.”
Strict monitoring of Air Space
Geo News’ Azaz Syed quotes Civil Aviation Authority that amid the escalation of tensions in Islamabad-Tehran ties, Pakistan has started strict monitoring of all flights from the West including Iran.
Meeting of Foreign Minister with Iranian Counterpart
Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani Wednesday told his Irani counterpart that no country should follow its path of launching an attack on a neighbouring nation’s soil against the menace of terrorism unilaterally.
“No country in the region should tread this perilous path,” Jilani told Iran’s FM Hossein Amir-Abdollahian during a telephone call hours after Tehran claimed it had targeted “terrorists” in Pakistan.
Iranian response
There is a group called Jaishal Adal, which is an Iranian terrorist group that have taken refuge on Pakistan-Iran border. Several times we have talked to Pakistani security officials that this group killed our security personnel and we responded by killing Iranian terrorist on Pakistani soil. I have spoken to my Pakistani counterpart, the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, we do respect the sovereignty of Pakistan but we don’t allow our national security be compromised and be played with. We have no hesitations when it comes to our national interest and those terrorist groups inside Pakistan and those affiliated with Israel” the Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said while speaking in Davos at The World Economic Forum.
WE RESPECT PAKISTANS SOVEREIGNTY BUT WILL NOT COMPROMISE ON OUR NATIONAL SECURITY SAYS IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER
There is a group called Jaishal Adal, which is an Iranian terrorist group that have taken refuse on Pakistan-Iran border. Several times we have talked to Pakistani… pic.twitter.com/NHLrTyCwqn
India India in a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs said, “This is a matter between Iran and Pakistan. Insofar as India is concerned, we have an uncompromising position of zero tolerance towards terrorism. We understand actions that countries take in their self-defence.”
China, close partners of Iran and Pakistan, urged restraint, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning saying both should “avoid actions that would lead to an escalation of tension”.
United States of America
The United States, meanwhile, condemned the Iranian strikes in Pakistan, Iraq and Syria, with State Department spokesman Matthew Miller saying Tehran had violated the “sovereign borders of three of its neighbours in just the past couple of days”.
Cold weather has increased in different cities of Balochistan after rain spells while a drizzle is expected in Karachi tonight (Saturday). The cold wave in other parts of the country is likely to become stronger, the Meteorological Department has said, reports Geo.
The coldest temperature during the last 24 hours was hit in Skardu, where the mercury dropped to minus 9 degrees Celsius.
The federal capital, Islamabad, is shrouded in dense fog which is affecting the flight schedule. Three international flights to Islamabad have been grounded in Karachi and Lahore. Due to low visibility, more than 500 flights have been delayed in the first 20 days of 2024.
The Meteorological Department has predicted heavy fog in the plains of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Upper Sindh during the next few days. Karachi is likely to remain partially cloudy during the next 24 hours, while the possibility of drizzle has also been indicated at some places this evening. On Sunday and Monday, the city is expected to be partly cloudy and cool at night.
The minimum temperature of the coastal city is expected to be between 13 and 15 degrees Celsius, while winds will continue to blow from the northeast and southwest in the city throughout the day.
In a significant operation conducted by the Pakistan Coast Guard, a staggering amount of narcotics, valued at over 8 billion rupees, was seized in the Pasni district of Balochistan.
As per Geo news, the spokesperson for the Pakistan Coast Guards said that more than 1700 kilograms of narcotics were confiscated from the mountainous region of Kulanch, a sub-tehsil of Pasni, Gwadar District.
The estimated international market value of the seized narcotics is approximately 29.28 million dollars, equivalent to over 8 billion rupees in Pakistani currency.
The government’s intensified nationwide anti-drug campaign continues to reap results, with the authorities seizing over 3,929 kilograms of narcotics and apprehending 26 suspects in just a week (December 31 to January 7).
According to official data, most of the seized drugs, 3,369kg, were confiscated from Balochistan, a province long considered a key drug trafficking hub.
Another 303kg were recovered from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), followed by 17kg from Gilgit-Baltistan, 18kg from Punjab, and 220kg from Sindh.
The breakdown of individual drug types reveals a significant quantity of heroin (412kg) and 2,956kg of hashish seized from Balochistan, while from KP, 295kg of hashish and 8kg of heroin were seized.
Additionally, 12kg of methamphetamine was confiscated in Punjab, 220kg of hashish in Sindh, and 12kg from Gilgit.
These successes build upon the progress achieved since the national anti-narcotics operation began on September 1, 2023. To date, a staggering 819,388kg of drugs have been recovered from across Pakistan, and 716 criminals have been apprehended.
A locally made explosive device went off near the Civil Secretariat and Commissioner Office on Quetta’s Zarghoon Road, injuring nine people, including a traffic policeman and four children.
Senior Superintendent of Operations has said that the explosion happened in a garbage heap under the bridge on Zarghoon Road, adding that an investigation into the blast has been initiated.
The SSP also confirmed that the injured children were ragpickers.
Commissioner Quetta Division Muhammed Hamza Shafqaat, took to X (formerly Twitter) to urge citizens to avoid the Zarghoon Road for the next few hours.
Terrorist attacks in Pakistan have ratched up in 2023, particularly on security and military personnel, ever since the end of a tentative truce deal with the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan ended in November of 2022.
A report submitted on orders of the Supreme Court by the Missing Persons Commission has said that most of the cases of missing persons have been reported by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa followed by Balochistan.
A total of 2297 cases of missing persons are pending while members of the commission as well as the heads are all being paid hefty salaries. The report was presented in front of the two-member commission for missing persons constituted by the Interior Ministry on the Supreme Court’s directions. It is headed by Justice (R) Javed Iqbal while the second member is the former inspector general of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Sharif Virk.
According to the information extracted by Samaa’s Sohail Rashid via Auditor General Pakistan, the highest number of 3,485 cases of missing persons were reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, followed by the enforced disappearance of 2,752 citizens from Balochistan.
The report states that the reason behind the said disappearances in KP was extremism, war, and deaths in drone attacks. Moreover, moving to another country without informing one’s family owing to a war-like situation was also a reason behind the said disappearances, as per the commission.
Furthermore, 744 production orders were issued to produce the missing persons, while only 52 were executed. The 692 production orders issued by the commission were not even implemented by the relevant authorities, the commission reported.
The police and sensitive institutions filed 182 requests for revision of the production orders, the report says, adding that out of the unimplemented production orders, 503 were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
From March 2011 to December 2023, 4,413 missing persons returned home, while 994 were incarcerated in various detention centres and 644 imprisoned in different jails of the country.
From March 2011 to December 2023, bodies of 261 missing persons were found, according to the commission, which also dismissed 1,477 cases it categorized as non-enforced disappearances.
The commission further says that the disposed of cases involved kidnapping for ransom, personal grudges or willful disappearances.
Moreover, 260 cases from Punjab, 163 from Sindh, and 1,336 from KP are still pending in the commission as well as 468 cases from Balochistan, 55 from Islamabad and 15 from Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the report, the monthly salaries of the 35 officers and employees of the Missing Persons Commission are more than Rs1.5 million. Commission chief, Justice (r) Javed Iqbal receives a monthly salary of Rs674,000, while that of Zia Parvez, a member of the commission, is Rs829,000, as per the report.
Commission member Justice (r) Amanullah’s salary is over Rs1.1 million, while that of Sharif Virk is Rs263,000. The Supreme Court has sought a response from the federal government within 20 days of receiving the report of the missing persons commission.
