ISLAMABAD - Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Haji Ghulam Ali yesterday asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold elections in the province on October 8, 2023, the date fixed for holding polls in Punjab province. The Governor KP, in a letter to Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan Sikandar Sultan Raja, sharing reason of new wave of terrorism in the province, asked to delay elections for more five months. He argued that the polls would be better to schedule on a same date fixed for the Punjab elections. The Governor earlier had given May 28, 2023 for polls in his province but later he backtracked. He mentioned that the fresh wave of terrorism has been taking place in the northwestern province on a daily basis, so in such a situation elections should be postponed till October 8. He said major terrorist activities include cross-border firing in North Waziristan, an improvised explosive device (IED) blast on an army vehicle in Kohat, heavy exchange of fire with terrorists in South Waziristan on March 15, unknown terrorists firing on Khyber’s Bara Police Station on March 19. The Governor further mentioned that a terrorist attack took on a police station in DI Khan followed by a search operation by the army, resulting in the martyrdom of three army soldiers on the night between March 21 and 22. He mentioned the recent incident in which a convoy was ambushed in South Waziristan resulting in the martyrdom of Brigadier Mustafa Kamal Barki from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and injuries to seven other personnel. The governor, in the letter, further said that since the ECP has postponed the date for general elections of Punjab to October 8, it is also suggested that the same date should be appointed for the general elections in KP.
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