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Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Abdul Qadir Baloch on Saturday suggested postponing general elections in areas with security threats, stressing this was preferable to delaying polls nationwide due to problems in select regions.
In an interview with Dawn News, he said polls in the affected areas could be held once conditions there improve. Noting that a country with 236 seats to the National Assembly could not afford to derail the electoral process for just seven to eight at-risk constituencies, he claimed the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was a greater threat to peace in Balochistan than separatists.
Acknowledging that existing threats were a fact, he regretted that separatist elements did not believe in parliamentary politics. Such elements, he said, were hindering election campaigns in the province.
The PPP leader, who has served as federal minister in the past, also criticized interim Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti for announcing in a press conference specific threats to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) leader Fazlur Rehman, saying these should have been communicate to the politician rather than to the public. As the government is aware of these threats, he continued, it was its responsibility to protect politicians in the crosshairs.
With less than 2 months remaining until general elections due on Feb. 8, 2024, several politicians and media personnel have claimed the country’s security and economic situation does not permit the conduct of free and fair polls. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), however, has dismissed all such speculation as rubbish and maintained that polls would be held on time in February.
Last week, caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti admitted that the JUIF chief faced a specific security threat, adding there was also a general security threat for the all political leaders. He maintained that the government would spare no effort to ensure a peaceful atmosphere for the public during the election campaign and general elections.