ISLAMABAD: Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim said on Wednesday that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will work towards persuading political parties in Balochistan to participate in the upcoming elections.

Speaking to the media at Quetta airport, Ebrahim said that he was afraid that some people would boycott the elections but that has not happened.

He said that he will try and persuade those who are feeling alienated, adding that he wants to “put at ease political parties in the province”.

The election commissioner also said that he wants to “put at ease political parties in the province”. He further said that the ECP will ensure that the elections were conducted in a secure environment.

On the topic of delimitation, the CEC said, “So far we have not received any application regarding delimitation in Balochistan. Meanwhile, there have been some changes in Karachi.”

Ebrahim also said that peace and security was not just an issue for Balochistan, but also for the rest of the country.

The chief election commissioner along with the ECP members will meet leaders of 13 political parties in Quetta to discuss the upcoming general elections and to reconcile dissident Baloch leaders to contest in the polls.

Meanwhile, a press release issued by the ECP on Wednesday said that the participants will also ‘deliberate on the security situation in the province and devise a strategy to ensure that the elections are held peacefully’.

The CEC will meet with the leadership of National Party Balochistan, Balochistan National Party (Awami), Balochistan National Party (Mengal) Hazara Democratic Party, Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (N), Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf, Jamaat-i- Islami, Awami National Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, the press release added.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal had said that his party will actively participate in the May 11 general elections.