Police to increase security of 2 senior politicians after ‘threat reports’

PESHAWAR: The authorities have alerted the police across the country to further improve security of two senior politicians from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after reports of threats to their lives, it has been learnt.

“Another election, another wave of threats. This isn’t the first time such threats have been directed at me. The ANP remains steadfast; adversity doesn’t deter us,” provincial president of the Awami National Party Aimal Wali Khan stated on Friday while posting a letter on his social media accounts regarding the threat to his life.

In the mentioned threat alert, the chief secretaries and police chiefs of the provinces took adequate measures for security of the chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl Maulana Fazlur Rehman and provincial president of the Awami National Party Aimal Wali Khan.

“Threat reports have been received from reliable sources, indicative of serious threats to safety of JUI chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and ANP provincial president Aimal Wali Khan. It is, therefore, requested that extreme caution and vigilance is exercised and necessary security arrangements are made at their residences and during their movement, gatherings to avoid any untoward incident,” stated the threat alert posted by the ANP leader.

Aimal said that despite enduring bombs and suicide attacks, they won’t yield to terrorists. “Following Bacha Khan’s principles, we’ll continue fighting for our nation and rights, even if it means sacrificing our lives,” he stated.

A senior official of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police expressed ignorance from any such threat alert, saying they saw a letter on social media though.

Law and order situation has worsened in many parts of KP for the last many months. Some political gatherings also came under attack in KP and Balochistan.

Over 50 people lost lives while over 130 were wounded in a powerful blast at the gathering of JUIF in Bajaur a couple of months back.

In the past years, a number of senior KP politicians were attacked by the militants in different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, JUIf chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Qaumi Watan Party chief Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao and other senior politicians of the province have survived many attacks on their lives in the last one and a half decades.

Also, many lawmakers and politicians including the then senior minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour and his son Haroon Bilour of the Awami National Party, Israrullah Gandapur, his brother Ikramullah Gandapur of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and at least four MPAs were among the politicians who embraced martyrdom in attacks in the past years. Many of these attacks were carried out by suicide bombers. The level of threat, however, gradually decreased for some time.