Pakistan's upcoming general election is being billed as a "make or break" event in the troubled but resource-rich southwestern province of Balochistan, where campaigning has been hit hard by threats from militants and separatists.
The northern Pashtun belt of Balochistan is largely peaceful and expected to witness a sizeable turnout when Pakistan goes to the polls on May 11 to choose new national and provincial assemblies, but authorities have put in place extensive security arrangements in the southern Baloch-dominated areas to counter efforts by separatists to disrupt the polling.
"This is a make or break situation. If we have the polls, the electoral and democratic processes and the federal structure will be strengthened," Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad, the Chief Secretary of Balochistan, told a visiting group of foreign journalists today.
Over the past few days, campaign offices of different parties in Quetta have been targeted in grenade attacks and separatists have bombed schools to be used as polling stations.
Separatist groups like the Baloch Liberation Army and Baloch Republican Army have called for a strike during May 9-11 to prevent voting.
But Chief Secretary Muhammad and provincial police chief Mushtaq Ahmed Sukhera are confident that they have put in place adequate measures to protect voters, candidates and election officials.
Over 2,800 of the 3,794 polling stations in Balochistan have been classified as "very sensitive" and more than 98,600 security personnel will be deployed for the polls.
About 6,000 soldiers have been put on stand-by to prevent violence on election day.
"Certain candidates did receive threats but they have braved them and resolved to be part of the democratic process. We have the army, the Frontier Corps, quick reaction teams and police. Hopefully we will cross this obstacle," Muhammad said.
