Four separate blasts occurred in Balochistan's provincial capital Quetta, Turbat, and Dera Allah Yar city of Jaffarabad district, injuring four people who have been shifted to hospitals for medical treatment.
One person was killed while four people sustained injuries in the wake of the blasts. The deceased was identified as 79-year-old Abdul Khaliq.
The security situation continues to pose a challenging situation as the province is heading towards general elections on National Assembly and provincial assembly seats.
In Quetta, an explosive material blasted near a police checkpost while one person was injured in the Turbat blast that occurred at Ghulam Nabi Chowk wherein the police team identified the nature of the blast.
Quetta SSP (Operations) Tariq Jawad told the media at the scene of the incident that one person had been killed in a roadside explosion on CPEC Road. He further said that eight to 10 kilogrammes of explosives were used in the blast and investigations were underway to determine the identity of the deceased.
During preliminary investigation, the deceased appeared to be a passer-by, he official claimed, claiming that there was no election campaign in the area where the blast took place.
Jawad said security was on high alert regarding the electoral activities.
In a third blast, a cracker blast occurred in the Bhatti hotel located on national highway Dera Allah Yar in district Jaffarabad.
In Hub, the deputy commissioner ordered political parties to restrict their political activities, rallies, and corner meetings amid the deteriorating security situation in the district.
In the latest incident, another hand grenade hurdled near the Arbab gate at Quetta Road Qamrani in which no loss of life has been reported.
The election commission has also taken notice of the explosions in Quetta, Turbat, and Jaffarabad, said a spokesman, adding that it has sought an immediate report from the Balochistan chief secretary and inspector general of police.
SSP Operations clears the air about nature of blasts
Quetta SSP (Operations) Tariq Jawad talking to the media at the scene of the incident said that one person was killed in a roadside explosion on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) road.
“8 to 10 kg of explosives have been used in the blast, SSP Operations Jawad Tariq, adding that he told media person that investigations are going on regarding the identity of the deceased.
“In the preliminary investigation, the deceased person appears to be a passer-by. There was no election program in the blast area and Security is on high alert regarding election,” SSP Operations said.
On Wednesday, five people were injured in a grenade attack on the political office of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) nominated candidate Ali Madad Jatak from BP-45.
Similarly, at least one Police personnel was injured in a hand grenade attack following firing on the Jusak Police checkpoint in the Kech district, Balochistan.
Another person got injured when unidentified armed persons targeted 2 trucks carrying minerals in Mangochar area of Kalat district, Balochistan.
At least 1 person was injured when unidentified persons hurled a hand grenade at the residence of the Deputy commissioner in Kachi.
Must Read: ECP hints at delaying elections, as it scrambles to secure paper for ballots
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) faces a critical hurdle in the upcoming elections: securing enough special security paper for potential reprints of ballot papers in certain constituencies.
In a meeting on Wednesday, the ECP acknowledged the challenge and outlined contingency plans, including delaying elections in affected areas as a last resort. It also declared that ballot papers will be printed at the end for the constituencies where they have to be reprinted.
"If the security paper is not available, there will be no option but to postpone the elections in these constituencies," the ECP maintained.
Reprinting will be necessary if issues arise during the printing process or legal challenges necessitate changes to the ballot papers. However, the availability of the specialized paper, crucial for maintaining election integrity, is limited and timely printing is crucial.
Must Read: Elections will be held on Feb 8 across country: ECP
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) made it clear on Wednesday that the elections will be held on February 8 across the country.
ECP CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja presided over the meeting of the electoral watchdog in Islamabad. On this occasion, the ECP said: “No proposals are being reviewed about delaying the polls in KP and Balochistan.”
During the meeting, matters in line with the publication of the ballot papers were discussed.
The ECP stated: “After today, papers from the constituencies with printing regulations cannot be printed. The special features paper has been discontinued, and printing corporations are also facing a shortage of resources.”
