<\/p>\n
At least six security personnel were martyred in separate attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan on Thursday, officials said.<\/p>\n
The incidents came as nearly 128 million people across the country cast their votes amid an internet and cellular outage. Earlier in the day, the interior ministry said the decision to block mobile network services was taken in view of the security situation.<\/p>\n
In KP\u2019s Dera Ismail Khan district, four police officials were martyred in an attack on a police patrol.<\/p>\n
According to local police chief Rauf Qaisrani, bomb blasts and firing targeted a police convoy in the Kulachi area. He added that the area had been cordoned off and further investigation was underway.<\/p>\n
In a statement, interim KP Chief Minister Justice (retd) Arshad Hussain Shah condemned the attacks in Tank and Dera Ismail Khan. Media reports said one person was killed in a firing incident in Tank, although no official has commented on the exact number of casualties or the nature of the incident.<\/p>\n
The chief minister said that such incidents would not deter police from performing their duties, affirming that the nation and the state were standing with the law enforcement agencies.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, two Levies and police personnel were martyred in Balochistan\u2019s Kharan. The district\u2019s deputy commissioner, Munir Ahmed Soomro, told Dawn.com<\/em> that the incident occurred when a Levies vehicle hit a landmine en route to a polling station.<\/p>\n The official said seven security personnel were injured in the incident. Those in critical condition have been moved to Quetta, DC Soomro added.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, National Democratic Movement (NDM) Chairman and former lawmaker Mohsin Dawar wrote a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja regarding the \u201cvery serious and concerning security situation in Tappi, North Waziristan in NA-40\u201d.<\/p>\n The letter, which was posted on Dawar\u2019s account on X, stated that militants had been issuing threats to locals and the polling staff in the constituency.<\/p>\n \u201cThree of our female polling agents very narrowly escaped attacks [\u2026] in the morning of the polling day on Feb 8,\u201d he said, claiming that the \u201cTaliban in the area have taken control of the polling stations\u201d.<\/p>\n Dawar further stated that he had written a letter regarding the situation to the district returning officer but said it was \u201cignored\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe election commission has to take urgent notice of the situation and take necessary action to ensure the safety of the locals and the polling staff,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Pakistan has recently witnessed an uptick in terrorism, particularly in KP and Balochistan.<\/p>\n At least 28 people lost their lives in back-to-back blasts<\/a> outside election offices in Balochistan\u2019s Qila Saifullah and Pishin yesterday. Meanwhile, JUI-F leader Hafiz Hamdullah survived a gun attack on his vehicle en route to Chaman.<\/p>\n A day earlier, Amnesty International issued<\/a> an unequivocal statement expressing profound concern about the \u201clethal and targeted\u201d violence unfolding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.<\/p>\nMohsin Dawar writes letter to CEC<\/h2>\n
Uptick in terrorism<\/h2>\n