#Disastrous #Bomb #Explosion #Ahead #Pakistani #Elections #Leads #Deaths
Jakarta –
Another bomb explodes in Pakistan. The latest incident, the explosion occurred on the day of the Pakistani election.
Reported by the news agency AFP, Thursday (8/2/2024), an explosion occurred outside a polling station (TPS) in southwest Pakistan. As a result of the explosion, 2 security officers were killed and nine others were injured.
“There was an explosion in Lajja town that left two of us martyred and nine others injured,” an official of Pakistan’s paramilitary force Levies province in Balochistan told media via text message, according to the news agency. AFPThursday (8/2/2024).
If you add up the victims on Wednesday (7/2), then 30 people died as a result of the explosion.
2 Bomb Explosions Before Election
The day before the election, on Wednesday (7/2), there was an increase in violence in Pakistan, including a bomb attack that killed 28 people. Reported AFPThursday (8/2), the ISIS group claimed responsibility for two bomb explosions ahead of the voting.
“The aim of today’s explosion was to sabotage the elections,” said Pakistan’s acting Information Minister, Jan Achakzai, in Balochistan province.
“Even though there was an explosion today, elections will still be held tomorrow. The people of Balochistan will come out tomorrow without fear,” he continued.
The first blast killed 16 people near an independent candidate’s office in Pishin district, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the city of Quetta and 100 kilometers from the Afghan border. A second blast killed 12 people near the JUI-F party candidate election office in the town of Killa Saifullah. It was reported that 34 people were injured in the two attacks.
Pakistan Election Situation
In today’s election, as many as 44 political parties will compete. However, as reported by DW, what is projected to be superior is the Pakistan Muslim League party, led by former PM Nawaz Sharif, who returned to Pakistan from exile last year.
Sharif is currently considered the main contender to become Pakistan’s PM again. Analysts also say that Sharif’s return also has the support of the ruling Pakistani military.
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, son of assassinated former PM Benazir Bhutto, has a big chance of playing its role as “Kingmaker” or decider, if no single party wins enough seats to form a government.
Read the full news on the next page.
(jbr/aik)
