Interior Ministry Spokesman Brigadier Javed Iqbal Cheema (Retd) on Tuesday said the political leaders who have been receiving life threats should not lower their security. "The politicians should follow the security advisory issued to them by the Ministry and should not lower their security and guard," he told a weekly media briefing.
When asked whether the political leaders who had been provided security cover due to life threats would enjoy the same level of security, he said "they should be provided with the same security." Earlier, Cheema briefed the media on security arrangements made during the election.
He said the nation exercised the right to choose its representatives in a free, fair, transparent and peaceful manner. "The Government had made elaborate security arrangements for peaceful conduct of polls," he said adding that the foolproof arrangements and heavy deployment of security forces paid dividends and prevented any major disruption of the election process.
Cheema said the government had put in place three tiered security arrangements. Police and civil armed forces including Rangers, Frontier Corps and Frontier Constabulary were deployed at the polling stations on inner and outer cordons. He said the scope of violence remained confined to scuffles among political rivals and a few firing incidents.
The security forces on a tip off about the presence of terrorists in District Bannu took immediate action and arrested three terrorists. During exchange of fire three terrorists got killed and three were apprehended. One security personnel also embraced Shahadat and two got injured, he added.