Nine Dead, Dozens Injured in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan election violence

According to Dawn, a string of violent incidents on Thursday resulted in at least nine fatalities and over a dozen injuries in the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and several districts in Balochistan. Five police officers were killed and two injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in Dera Ismail Khan, which is under the jurisdiction of the Kulachi police station. Dawn claims that during a police car patrol in Kulachi’s Gara Aslam neighborhood for election security, the incident took place. There were casualties from the ambush by militants on the vehicle.

Officials said that a police vehicle was patrolling the Gara Aslam area of Kulachi for election security when the explosive device went off. “Besides the IED, militants fired at the vehicle,” a police official said, adding the militants escaped when an additional contingent of police reached the site.
Officials also informed that the area was immediately cordoned off following the incident and a search operation was launched. The martyred and injured were shifted to the district headquarters hospital, reported by Dawn.

The personnel who were identified as Sulman Yousaf, Sabir, Israr Ahmad, Driver Zeeshan, Ali Muhammad, and Jan Dost were among those who were injured. Five police officers lost their lives in the D.I. Khan blast as a result of grenade and rocket attacks against polling places in the Balochistani districts of Gwadar, Kech, and Panjgur. The number of casualties increased to 30 in Khanozai and Qila Saifullah as a result of bomb explosions.

In a statement, Balochistan Minister for Information Jan Achakzai confirmed the death toll and noted that the Islamic State (Wilayah Pakistan) claimed responsibility for targeting the election office of an independent candidate in Khanozai as reported by Dawn.
Meanwhile, amid the violence, polling in central, southern, and northern districts proceeded peacefully with tightened security measures.

The incidents underscore the challenges faced during the election process in certain regions, emphasizing the need for heightened security measures and vigilance to ensure the safety of citizens and electoral processes.