Can’t Guarantee Peaceful Polls: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Authorities

In light of the recent spate of terror activities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), authorities have raised alarm about the upcoming assembly elections due to the involvement of terrorists in the “Spring Offensive” expected to intensify from April to October. K-P chief secretary and inspector general police expressed the concerns while briefing the Election Commission on Friday. They maintained that they were not in a position to guarantee peace during the upcoming elections due to a bad law and order situation, financial woes and shortage of 56,000 police personnel. The inspector general revealed that groups operating from Afghanistan have been involved in terrorist activities in the province. The province has already seen 118 incidents this year, resulting in 100 deaths, he said. The IGP stated that providing security for elections was not a one-day activity. The chief secretary reported that the provincial government was facing a monetary deficit of Rs 19 billion, with an additional Rs 1.6 billion needed for the provincial elections. During the meeting, it was stressed that deploying the Army and Frontier Constabulary was essential during the electioneering process as the provincial police alone cannot cope with the challenges, reports The Express Tribune.