Election Commission allowed candidates to keep five civilian armed bodyguards

Considering the law and order and dire security situation in Pakistan, The Election Commission of Pakistan has allowed candidates to keep five civilian bodyguards with licensed arms during the polls campaign.

The News quoted Masood Khan Afridi, Additional Inspector General Police, Operations, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa:

“Under instructions from the Election Commission of Pakistan, politicians can keep five civilians with licensed arms as guards. They need to be verified from the police first,”

Most candidates of different political parties, busy in election campaign in rural Peshawar and southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, haven’t been provided adequate security by the government. Some of these contenders have arranged one or two gunmen on their own but the measures taken by them are not enough to counter a bomb attack.