The head of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Maulana Fazlur Rehman, stated about 24 hours after vehicles in his convoy in Dera Ismail Khan came under attack, that he does not think the February 8 elections should be held because of the nation’s security condition.
Fortunately, the JUI-F emir was not in the vehicles when the veteran politician’s convoy was fired upon from numerous directions near Yarik intersection, the party reported.
Fazl has insisted that this is not the appropriate time to hold elections and has been pleading with the interim administration and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to maintain the state of law and order.
The former lawmaker said during a press conference in DI Khan on Monday, “The incident yesterday [Sunday] raises questions on the security situation. It won’t be a big issue If elections are delayed for a few days.”
سیکورٹی سے عوام تاجروں کو بھی تو پریشانی ہوتی ہے ۔سیکورٹی تو ہمیں فراہم کی جاتی ہے مگر ہر امیدوار کو تو میسر نہیں ہے میں نے اسلام آباد میں پریس کانفرنس کی تو بعد میں تھریٹ لیٹر آگیا پی پی پی کے امیدوار بھی اس سیکورٹی کے حوالے سے پریشان ہیں اگر کسی بھی وجہ سے ٹرن آؤٹ کم ہوا تو یہ…
— Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Pakistan (@juipakofficial) January 1, 2024
PPP spokesman Faisal Karim Kundi claimed that Fazl was trying to “run away” from the polls in response to his repeated requests for the elections to be moved ahead.
During the press conference, Fazl stated that he was concerned about security in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and that his party’s leadership had also been targeted in Waziristan and Tank.
In 2023, Pakistan continued to be a hotbed of violence and terrorism due to internal political unrest, economic inequality, unstable regional conditions, and escalating hostilities with terrorist organizations that operate in Afghanistan’s border regions.
How can we conduct our election campaign under these circumstances? The JUI-F emir stated, “I’ve asked the election commissioner to consider my request [of delaying polls], but he says that he’s praying.”
With the exception of the JUI-F, no significant political party has called for the postponement of the elections. Along with staging rallies, the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) are about to reveal their manifestos.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is not in a strong position this time around, though, as a number of its prominent figures, including vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi and founder Imran Khan, had their nomination papers denied and are still detained.
Seats from the national and provincial assemblies will be up for grabs during the elections on February 8. The ECP has stated that it has met all requirements to hold the significant exercise
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