Pakistan braces for more explosions during elections, police on alert
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The security situation in the Asian country is in turmoil as the elections near.
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Security officials examine the scene of a bomb blast in Pakistan's Balochistan Province on February 7, 2024 (AP)
Pakistan expects additional bombings during the election time, and the police have been put on high alert, according to Babar Yousafzai, the acting Prime Minister of Balochistan Province's Press Secretary.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported earlier on Wednesday that 12 people were killed and 30 others were injured in an explosion in the Pashin area in the Pakistani province of Balochistan, outside a political party office.
Additionally, several militants launched an assault on a police station in northern Pakistan on Monday morning, resulting in the death of at least 10 officers, as confirmed by a high-ranking commander.
The incident occurred shortly before Pakistan prepares to hold a general election amid a string of numerous attacks targeting candidates and party supporters.
"More than 30 terrorists launched an attack from three directions. There was an exchange of fire for over two and a half hours," Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police chief Akhtar Hayat Gandapur said, as quoted by AFP.
"Yes, there is some threat as well... security forces are on high alert," Yousafzai revealed, responding to the possibility of more explosions on Thursday.
According to the official, 27 people have been killed, and no group has claimed responsibility for the blasts so far.
Attacks kill nearly 1,000 people in Pakistan in 2023
In 2023, a series of militant attacks in Pakistan resulted in the death of approximately 500 civilians and a comparable number of security forces, marking the highest toll in six years, as per a recent report released last December.
The majority of terrorist attacks and casualties in 2023 were concentrated in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Baluchistan provinces, which share borders with Afghanistan, according to a report from the independent Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) based in Islamabad.
The report highlighted that 2023 marked the deadliest year in a decade for Pakistani police and military forces, with over 500 personnel collectively lost in terrorist bombings and ambushes.
