Article: Bid to Stop Tribesmen From Casting Votes

The religious party of Pakistan Jamaat-i-Islami supporting Taliban has declared that all those who come to polling stations on the polling day will either be killed or blown up. The warning notice was issued in a jirga of Taliban.

According to a newspaper report, a jirga organised by the Jamaat-e-Islami threatened to besiege the homes of candidates taking part in a by-election for the National Assembly seat from Bajaur Agency vacated by Sahibzada Haroonur Rashid in protest against an airstrike on a madrassa in which more than 80 people were killed a few weeks ago.

The jirga demanded the government cancel the by-election and warned that the tribesmen would destroy ballot boxes at the polling stations if the election were conducted. The jirga warned people against filing nomination papers for the constituency, saying that those participating in the election would be considered enemies of the madrassa air raid victims.

Addressing the jirga, former MNA Haroonur Rashid said that he had promised the people of his constituency that he would avenge "the blood of martyrs" and had resigned from the National Assembly in protest against the airstrike. He said that the government had announced a by-election in the area to divert people's attention and urged the people not to participate in the polling. staff report.

The people of Bajaur Agency, Tribal Areas expressed great concern over the hurling of threats by the Taliban to them. They demanded of the government to tame the Taliban otherwise a full scale may erupt in the agency.
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