The Israeli Prime Minister's office issued the statement in response to what it referred to as a 'completely false' local television report about US pressure on Israel
world1 week ago
Pakistan's elections will go ahead as planned, the interior minister said on Thursday, after the country's vote body held a meeting with government and intelligence officials to discuss a spike in violence.
Polls in the South Asian nation are often marred by violence, with candidates and rallies targeted by militant groups as well as over personal vendettas.
"Elections will take place on the 8th of February," Gohar Ijaz, the caretaker interior minister, said.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
He added that a spate of attacks in the southwestern Balochistan province, where Islamabad has fought a decades-long insurgency, posed "no security threat".
"We will provide proper security for the elections," Ijaz said.
In the past few days, a dozen separate attacks have been reported across Balochistan, at least five of which targeted candidates from different political parties.
On Tuesday, at least four people were killed by a bomb blast near a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rally in the provincial capital Quetta.
"Security is currently on high alert, all our teams are carrying out extra patrols, snap-checks are also being done, everyone knows that there is a threat in the entire province," said Tariq Jawad, a police official in Quetta, on Thursday.
Rich mineral deposits in Pakistan's largest but poorest province have been at the centre of Islamabad's battle with ethnic Baloch separatist factions there.
ALSO READ:
Locals say they do not get their fair share of wealth from the oil and gas reserves, with the region consistently ranking at the bottom of Pakistan's human development indicators.
In northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, at least two candidates have been shot dead since the start of January, including Rehan Zeb Khan, a PTI-backed independent who was shot dead on Wednesday after leaving a stump gathering in the former tribal district of Bajaur.
"The killing of Rehan Zeb is a targeted killing aimed at creating chaos during the elections," district police officer Kashif Zulfiqar told AFP.
Fifteen political figures in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have faced death threats from militants over the past two months, a senior officer from the Counter Terrorism Department said.
The Israeli Prime Minister's office issued the statement in response to what it referred to as a 'completely false' local television report about US pressure on Israel
world1 week ago
Israeli President Isaac Herzog termed the United States as a 'true ally'
world1 week ago
'All acts of escalation are condemnable and must stop', said the spokesman for the Secretary-General
world1 week ago
Indian agencies have uncovered a network that sold fake tickets or charged exorbitant prices for legitimate ones for both concerts
world1 week ago
Saturday's attack was one of the deadliest attacks in the area in recent months
world1 week ago
Satellite data from Brazil's space research agency Inpe showed that Bolivia had 70,628 fire hot-spots up until September 22
world1 week ago
According to airport authorities, flight operations will be halted starting 6:00 PM on Thursday
world1 week ago
Airport operations are currently impacted, and passengers should not come to the airport at this time, the spokesperson said
world1 week ago