ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has asked authorities to provide extra security to candidates running in the July 25 general election.
This followed a presentation on Saturday by the head of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), Dr. Suleman Ahmad, to ECP officials on the security situation in the country and threats to candidates.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist attacks in the run-up to the election. The authorities have named politicians whose lives are said to be in danger.
The ECP on Saturday said the election will take place as scheduled and campaigning nationwide will continue.
A NACTA official told a Senate committee that six leading candidates are in the crosshairs of terrorist groups seeking to disrupt the election process.
The six candidates are Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan; Asfandyar Wali and Ameer Haider Hoti of the Awami National Party; Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao of the Qaumi Watan Party; Akram Khan Durrani of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl; and Talha Saeed of Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek.
Last week, there was a botched attempt on Durrani’s life when his convoy was attacked in Bannu. Two suicide bombings killed politicians who were not on the aforementioned list.
Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari canceled his forthcoming public rallies due to the surge in violence.
ECP wants more security for election candidates
ECP wants more security for election candidates
- Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist attacks in the run-up to the election
- A NACTA official told a Senate committee that six leading candidates are in the crosshairs of terrorist groups
Pakistan to take on India in Super Six fixture of Men’s U19 World Cup — PCB
- Pakistan need to defeat India by a healthy margin to secure a spot in semifinals
- England sit at the top of the table with six points in the mega cricket tournament
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan are all geared up to take on India in their final Super Six fixture of the ICC Under-19 (U19) Men’s Cricket World Cup, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said late Friday.
Pakistan will face arch-rivals India at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Sunday, February 1, with the first ball scheduled to be bowled at 9.30am local time.
The last time two sides met was during the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup final, where Pakistan defeated India by 191 runs to clinch the title at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai. Sameer Minhas scored 172 runs while right-arm pacer Ali Raza bagged four wickets.
Pakistan, who currently have four points and are placed third in Group 2 of the Super Six stage, need to defeat India by a healthy margin to secure a spot in the semifinals. England sit at the top of the table with six points and are currently playing New Zealand at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
“Our next match is against India, which is very important as there is a semifinal at stake. We have clear plans for every match and we put in a lot of hard work accordingly,” said Usman Khan, who has scored 122 runs from four matches in the ongoing mega event.
“We will try to perform well in the next game to qualify for the next stage.”
After arriving in Bulawayo from Harare on Wednesday afternoon, Pakistan took a day off before participating in a scenario-based practice game at the Bulawayo Athletic Club on Friday. Pakistan will also take part in a training session at the same venue today (Saturday).
“Before the tournament, we held several camps in Multan where a strong focus was placed on fielding. We had productive sessions there and as a result the team has improved a lot in this department,” Khan said.
“Our preparations have been very good. The scenario-based match was of high quality and it closely reflected actual match conditions.”
PAKISTAN SQUAD
Farhan Yousaf (captain), Usman Khan (vice-captain), Abdul Subhan, Ahmed Hussain, Ali Hasan Baloch, Ali Raza, Daniyal Ali Khan, Hamza Zahoor (wk), Huzaifa Ahsan, Momin Qamar, Mohammad Sayyam, Niqab Shafiq, Sameer Minhas and Umar Zaib
