Pakistan Elections: One security personnel killed in attack on security forces vehicle in Dera Ismail Khan

Islamabad [Pakistan], February 8 (ANI): One security personnel was killed in an attack on a security forces vehicle in Pakistan’s Dera Ismail Khan on Thursday. Assailants attacked the vehicle which was on election duty, Samaa TV reported citing sources.

The incident took place in the Kot Azam areaon the day when voting for national and state assemblies were underway, Samaa TV reported.

More than 17,000 candidates are contesting in the polls in which voters will elect 266 candidates to the Pakistan National Assembly, who will later, by a majority vote, elect the next prime minister, according to Dawn.

Simultaneously, voters will also elect representatives to their respective provincial assemblies, who will then elect the provincial chief executives under a similar process, according to Dawn report.

Elections have been postponed in one national and three provincial assembly constituencies due to the deaths of contesting candidates. This includes NA-8 (Bajaur), PK-22 (Bajaur), PK-91 (Kohat) and PP-266 (Rahim Yar Khan). Voters elsewhere will cast two votes each — one for each of the two assemblies.

It is not the first attack that has been reported in Pakistan in recent days. At least 26 people have been killed, and several others injured after two back-to-back blasts jolted Balochistan on Wednesday, as reported by Dawn.

According to the police, the first blast took place outside the election office of independent candidate Asfandyar Kakar in Pishin. Reportedly, Kakar is contesting elections from NA-265 constituency and Balochistan Assembly constituencies — PB-47 and PB-48 in the February 8 elections. However, the second blast was reported in Qila Saifullah shortly after the first attack.