PESHAWAR: Just as the season of election is in full bloom, phones are beeping with the officially issued terror alerts, while the news of suicide blasts and target killings are re-enacting the bloody past in sensitive places like Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal regions.

Ironically, a classified terror alert is being shared on social media warning about the possible security risks to sensitive places in Peshawar. To make such threats further believable, suicide bombings first in Bannu and Peshawar and then in Mastung (Balochistan) as well as target killings in North Waziristan tribal region and Chaman have brought back the bloody past back to reality when the general election was just around the corner.

During a recent briefing to the Election Commission of Pakistan, the National Counter Terrorism Authority also named the leaders of major political parties, who were on the hit-list of terrorists. Majority of them hail from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Not only the leaders of political parties face death threats at a time when they need to be among people, the election offices are also being threatened.

Both political leaders, poll offices under threat

“How can a candidate or popular politicians not meet the people in the season of election campaigns? They need to be among the people and should be provided security,” said Tariq Khan, spokesperson for the Qaumi Watan Party led by Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, whose name is on the hit list according to the Nacta briefing.

Mr Sherpao, also former interior minister, had survived three terrorist attacks in 2007 and 2015.

The party’s election office meant for looking after canvassing-related activities was also advised by the police to increase its security, remain vigilant, or close doors for their own safety.

A former woman MPA of the Pakistan Peoples Party also complained that she had been receiving threats due to her political activities.

Not only leaders and women, a first-timer in general election and that too hailing from Sikh religious minority of Peshawar, a social activist, Radesh Singh Tony, candidate for PK-75, was also threatened by an ‘unknown’ caller just two days ago.

“I was told to withdraw from election or face consequences by an unknown person on phone,” he said, adding that the caller’s ID was not known when he had a look at the caller’s list.

What Mr Tony could do was to report it to the police. He did not need any policemen for his security.

“I cannot afford it personally as well as financially,” said Mr Tony, who preferred to be accompanied by his friends than the police during his campaign and remained inconspicuous.

Just few weeks before the general election scheduled for July 25, insecurity and uncertainty has been setting in since the first suicide attack on July 10 hit Awami National Party candidate for PK-78 Haroon Bilour during a corner meeting, killing 22 political workers and then an attack on the convoy of former CM Akram Khan Durrani, also contesting election and present on the terror hit list according to the Nacta, was hit killing four persons.

On July 13, a public meeting of Balochistan Awami Party was hit yet again by a suicide bomber killing its leader Siraj Raisani along with 150 others and injuring dozens. On July16, an ANP former senator Daud Khan was targeted and injured in an attack in Chaman. Target killings, though not election related, but have started terrorizing people in North Waziristan tribal district too.

The political parties have termed such attacks an attempt to derail the democratic process and keep some political parties out of contest like it was done in the previous 2013 general elections when the ANP faced the worst kind of isolation through terrorism and could not hold campaign openly due to terrorist threats.

On July 20, the ANP had announced that it would hold a rally in Peshawar city to show that it would not be scared away by such threats and would participate in election process.

Sohail Ahmad, spokesperson for the Provincial Election Commission of Pakistan, KP, said the ECP was briefed by the Nacta and was aware of threats and situation arising out of the recent terrorist attacks.

“The threats to candidate and voters are both serious and we feel the responsibility of their security. The ECP has directed the provincial government to make sure to arrange for security in sensitive places,” he said.

Mr Sohail said all security agencies were under the control of the ECP and that all were supposed to cooperate with the ECP to ensure holding of elections in a peaceful environment. He said the elections would be held on its due time on July 25 and would not be affected by any such terrorist attacks or insecurity.

Published in Dawn, July 17th , 2018