ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan on Thursday announced that the general elections in the country would be held on February 8 as planned.
The inspectors general of police Khyber Pakthunkhwa and Balochistan and Interior Minister Gohar Ejaz briefed the ECP at a meeting here about security in provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakthunkhwa as well as across the country.
After the meeting, caretaker interior minister Gohar Ejaz told media that the ECP would hold the elections on February 8 at all costs.
The meeting was being seen as an indication that the government may delay the elections due to rising terror activities in KP and Balochistan provinces.
The murder of a candidate in Bajaur on Wednesday and a bomb blast in a rally of PTI in Sibi a day earlier had cast doubts on the holding of elections in the two provinces.
The interior minister said that the caretaker government would provide all-out support to the Election Commission of Pakistan to ensure free and fail polls without any delay on February 8.
He said the election commission and the government had finalized all arrangements for the elections and security would be ensured by the government on the occasion.
In this regard, the federal government has already approved deployment of army personnel across the country for security purposes.