ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has organized a high-level committee to supervise security for the February 8 elections, as political actors express concern over the law and order situation.
Shahid Ashraf Tarar, Federal Minister for Communications, Railways, and Maritime Affairs, would lead the seven-member group, according to an announcement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
According to the notification, the committee includes the secretary of the Ministry of Interior as well as the chief secretaries of all four provinces (Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab).
The committee’s formation comes just days before the polls, as some politicians have either urged increased security or a postponement of the elections due to the unclear law enforcement situation.
Previous election campaigns have been fraught with violence, with bombings and gun attacks targeting scores of candidates and people alike.
Last week, an independent candidate for the provincial assembly was killed, along with two aides, when his car was hit by gunfire while campaigning in the province, according to police.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, in a directive issued by his office, interim Sindh Chief Minister Maqbool Baqar said “there have been multiple reports of attacks on candidates” vying for the election.
Some have been “kidnapped in broad daylight”, he claimed, characterizing it as a “rising tide of crime”.
