Twin Blasts in Pakistan 22 Killed, 37 Wounded Before Genera Election

Defense News ,Pakistan :- At least 22 individuals lost their lives in two separate bomb attacks outside the campaign offices of political candidates in southwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, further darkening the already tense atmosphere surrounding an election marked by violence and allegations of electoral misconduct.

The initial assault targeted the office of an independent candidate in the Pishin district, approximately 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Quetta and 100 kilometers from the Afghan border. Both Jan Achakzai, the caretaker information minister for Balochistan province, and Quetta police confirmed a death toll of 12, with an additional 25 individuals sustaining injuries.

A second explosion occurred near the election office of a candidate affiliated with the Islamist Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) party in Killa Saifullah, situated approximately 120 kilometers (75 miles) to the east. Achakzai reported 10 fatalities and 12 injuries in this incident.

The attack unfolded in the city's main bazaar, targeting the JUI-F's election office, as revealed by a senior police official.

This tragic event follows a similar incident in July of the previous year when a suicide bomber claimed the lives of 44 people during a political gathering of the JUI-F party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

As the nation, with a population of 240 million, the world's fifth-most populous, braces for the election, over half a million security personnel have been deployed to more than 90,000 polling stations. Allegations of pre-poll rigging have cast a shadow over the electoral process, particularly after a crackdown on the party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, the victor in the 2018 election who was ousted from power four years later through a vote of no-confidence.

In the lead-up to Thursday's vote, multiple security incidents have been reported, including the fatal shooting of two candidates and numerous attacks targeting others across the country. Campaigning officially concluded on Tuesday night, and voting is scheduled to commence at 8:00 am local time (0300 GMT) on Thursday, concluding at 5:00 pm.

The scale of participation is significant, with around 128 million eligible voters in a country with nearly 18,000 candidates vying for seats in the national and provincial assemblies. In the latter, 266 seats are directly contested, with an additional 70 reserved for women and minorities, while the regional parliaments offer 749 positions.

Ensuring security measures at every level has become a top priority, emphasized Sindh provincial police chief Rafat Mukhtar in a news briefing held in Karachi on Wednesday.