Pakistan elections: Most polling stations in Balochistan declared 'sensitive' or 'highly sensitive'

Karachi: About 80 per cent of the polling stations established for Thursday's general elections in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province have been declared "sensitive" or "highly sensitive" by the authorities.

Of the total 5,028 polling stations in Balochistan, only 961 (approx 19 per cent) are designated as normal, Balochistan's Interior Minister Zubair Jamali said, expressing serious concerns about the potential security challenges in the province during the polls.

While 2,337 polling stations have been declared "sensitive", 1,730 are classified as "highly sensitive", he said.

Jamali said given the recent terror incidents in Balochistan with attempted strikes on security forces, installations, government servants and civilians, security on the polling day would be very tight.

Balochistan's caretaker Information Minister Jan Achakzai on Sunday announced that internet services would be temporarily suspended in areas with polling stations marked as “sensitive” on the day of the election in the province.

In a statement, the minister said social media platforms could be utilised by terrorists for communication purposes on polling day. To mitigate this risk, access to the internet would be restricted in various areas, including Turbat, Mach, and Chaman.

Jamali said the government, establishment and security forces carried out an extensive survey of all polling stations to categorise them for the elections.

“We have taken into account past incidents of terrorism, the presence of militant groups in different areas and their ability to create violence during polls,” he said.

Last week, terrorists belonging to the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) tried to storm the towns of Mach and Kolpur apparently to free inmates in the Mach jail but the attempt was foiled by the security forces.

However, four security personnel, two civilians and at least 24 terrorists were killed during the operation.

There have been several incidents of poll violence in Balochistan. In January, four people were killed and six others injured in a bomb blast at a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party rally in Balochistan’s Sibi city.

The provincial government has already implemented a ban on political rallies and corner meetings in view of poll-related violence incidents.

Jamali said there would be increased deployment of security forces at polling stations, particularly in “sensitive” and “highly sensitive” ones.

Since last year there has been a spike in terror incidents in Balochistan, especially after the ceasefire between the federal government and the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) outfit ended in November 2022.