*ISLAMABAD: *Foreign and domestic fringe elements may disrupt upcomingelection campaigns by mounting attacks on political leaders and electionstaff, the interior ministry told members of a Senate standing committee onWednesday.
Briefing members of the panel, Additional Secretary of the Ministry ofInterior Arshad Malik said that they had reports about the occurrence ofsuch events ahead of the general election, Tribune has reported.
“We have (received) reports that certain elements may disrupt electioncampaigns using tactics, including terrorist attacks on political leaders,election staff,” he said, adding that there was a possibility ofcross-border firing.
“Do you have confirmed reports or are they just apprehensions?” chairpersonof the committee Senator Rehman Malik asked.
In response, the ministry official reluctantly said that there were somereports but he was unable to share more details on this forum.
The chairperson said that the ministry and ECP could update the committeein an in-camera meeting about such threats.
“We want to know if foreign elements are out to sabotage elections orcreate chaos,” he said.
He insisted that he had information that the United States wanted to sowseeds of ethnic and sectarian strife in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
India, he said, was already doing this in Balochistan.
“We have been alerted to the possibility of such terrorist incidentsbecause elections do not suit some elements,” the ministry officialremarked.
He maintained that security on the country’s western borders would also beincreased besides increasing vigilance on Afghan refugees and their camps.
The additional secretary insisted that they were working in collaborationwith security forces and law enforcement agencies to ensure peaceful, freeand fair elections in the country.
“We are assessing the situation and (perceived threats) keeping (in view)previous history and reports from intelligence agencies,” he maintained.
During the briefing, he said that a total of 79,778 polling stations wouldbe set up across the country of which 14,093 had been declared ‘verysensitive’ and 24,707 declared as ‘sensitive’.