Re-polling stopped after Kohlu's PB-9 struck with rocket, landmine explosion

KOHLU: Days after the by-elections were conducted across the country, scheduled re-polling remains halted in Kohlu's PB-9 in Balochistan after one of the areas in the constituency was struck with rockets and landmine explosions on Wednesday.

Voting was set to take place across four polling stations in the aforementioned constituency, which now remains impacted in Kohlu's Nasao area near which the attacks took place.

After the attacks the voting process came to a halt, as staff could not reach due to the law and order situation and safety concerns in Kohlu, said the district commissioner.

According to the Levies sources, the rocket was fired from an unknown direction near a polling station in the district's Nasao area, but no casualties were reported following the attacks.

Meanwhile, the landmine blast took place early this morning on Nasao road in the Sangyali area of Barkhan ahead of the re-polling process. In the attack, a tribal leader Raba Nawaz's car hit the landmine.

He remained safe in the explosion, but his car was severely damaged.

The re-polling in the district was scheduled to take place from 8am to 4pm today.

According to the DC, a political party worker was killed in a firing incident at an election camp on Tuesday. He added that the Frontier Corps and Levies' bomb disposal team was in the area.

"Election staff and polling agents were going to the polling stations under the protection of security forces," the DC said.

A day earlier, tensions were reported at four polling stations in Madrasah Yar Khan in Nasao, while firing also continued in and near the premises of the polling station, as a result of which one person was killed.

According to Levies, heavy firing was carried out by unknown armed persons from nearby mountains, just a day ahead of today's re-polling.

The district returning officer said that firing began when the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidates and workers reached the polling station.

A protest was held in the district against the deployment of "biased" polling staff in the constituency. However, a PPP leader Mir Naseebullah later announced to end of the sit-in on FC's assurance.