Threat of all-out war with India is one reason for delayed election, Pakistan government tells SC

The report, submitted to the Supreme Court by the Defense Ministry, said elections in the politically crucial Punjab province would lead to failure in Pakistan and could encourage India to take advantage of ethnic issues, water disputes and other issues. . Sunrise the newspaper reported.

The ministry submitted its report along with an application to ask the high court to withdraw its election date order, fearing an increase in terrorist threats if the elections in the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies are held before elections in other provincial assemblies.

A three-member Supreme Court caucus headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial set April 8 to May 14 as the new date for Punjab Assembly elections and annulled the Election Commission’s decision. to extend the date of the vote from April 10 to October. 8.

The newspaper said the report claimed Pakistan faced cross-border terrorism, instability at home, threats from the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP), Islamic State (IS) fighters returning to Pakistan from various countries, “bad- designs of the Indian spy agency” and “even all-out war” with the neighboring country.

The report explains that the security situation in recent years has required the simultaneous deployment of forces on the eastern and western borders of the country.

The report also feared that Pakistan would continue to be a victim of the “great global game”, with India enjoying the primacy.

Pakistan was not only threatened by insecurity due to external aggression, but also internal instability, he said, adding that the two were interlinked “as internal chaos invites external aggression.”

Referring to Punjab province, the report says a new wave of terrorism has emerged in the province, with some 150 threat warnings received from January 2022 to April 2023.

Of those, 78 threats were averted through counterterrorism or intelligence-based operations, but eight could not be averted, according to the report.

He said sleeper cells of terrorist elements were active in Punjab, especially South Punjab, and even in Islamabad, as evidenced by high-profile attacks. In addition, several militants belonging to the self-styled Islamic State (IS) group and other groups were also returning to Pakistan from Syria, Yemen and the Middle East, he said.

The report, however, expects the recent understanding between China, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan to counter terrorism to produce better results in six to eight months.

Speaking on the domestic political scene, he stated that a tense atmosphere in Punjab could lead to instability in the country, noting that several threat alerts were received against senior leaders of different political parties, mainly in Punjab.