ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) asked the caretaker federal and provincial governments on Saturday to adopt all necessary measures for security of political leaders, election candidates and voters.

A letter sent to the interior secretary and principal secretaries of the provinces said the ECP was mandated to hold free, fair and transparent elections and it was making all out efforts to achieve this goal.

“However, the recent incidents of terrorism, causing loss of human lives and destruction of property, have put the political parties on guard with an undercurrent of reluctance to organise, manage and participate in public meetings, rallies and even corner meetings, which militates the concept of free elections and is likely to have an adverse effect on the turnout of the masses to exercise their right of franchise on the polling day,” it said.

It pointed out that there had been 11 incidents in Balochistan in which offices of the ECP had been attacked with hand-grenades or set on fire. In one case, a deputy election commissioner was murdered.

A suicide bomber attacked a political party’s meeting, resulting in the death of 19 persons and causing injuries to numerous others, including a candidate for the National Assembly constituency NA-1, Peshawar.

Close relatives of a candidate in Balochistan died in a bomb attack.

“It is, therefore, the prime legal and constitutional duty of the executive in each province of Pakistan, presently headed by the caretaker governments, to ensure complete safety to persons and property of candidates and leaders of each and every political party as well as common men, women and children through the aegis of police, Rangers and even military,” the ECP said.

It said such incidents of terrorism were likely to lower the morale of the public and must be dealt with an iron hand.

Copies of the letter have also been sent to chief secretaries, home secretaries and police chiefs of the provinces, the additional chief secretary of Fata, directors general of Rangers in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan and inspectors general of the Frontier Corps in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.