The Peshawar police announced they will not provide individual security to election candidates for the upcoming 2024 general elections, advising political parties’ candidates to seek private security services.
Peshawar police’s decision was attributed to allocating available personnel to secure polling stations during the elections. Nevertheless, the police committed to securing public gatherings and rallies related to the electoral campaigns.
This decision emerged in the context of heightened security concerns, underscored by the Counter Terrorism Department’s (CTD) identification of 15 politicians from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) facing terrorist threats.
Notables among those threatened include MNA Mohsin Dawar, ex-provincial minister Imtiaz Qureshi, and senators Hidayatullah and Maulana Abdur Rasheed, indicating a tense security landscape as the election approaches.
Recent violent incidents in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including a fatal explosion near a political rally in Sibi, have exacerbated these concerns. This wave of violence, resulting in six deaths and multiple injuries across various districts, has prompted the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to classify approximately 50% of the polling stations nationwide as “sensitive” or “most sensitive,” reflecting the precarious security situation facing the country as it heads into an election year.
