Islamabad: The Pakistan government will ensure that the upcoming general election is held on schedule next month despite the security threat to top political leaders, caretaker Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz Khan said today.

"There is a security threat to mainstream politicians and we are providing security to them. Definitely, the elections will be held on February 18," he told reporters on the sidelines of an official function here. The army and paramilitary forces will be deployed to ensure law and order during the polls. "We hope that it will be a peaceful election. We will make all endeavours (to ensure the polls are held as scheduled)," Khan said.

"We don't foresee any problem in most of Pakistan. The problem which is being hinted at is supposed to be in Swat, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and maybe Kurram Agency. But even in Swat and FATA, election activities are going on in full swing in almost all the constituencies," he said. There had been a "change in policy" to tackle the threats and the army was conducting operations in FATA. "They are involved in a major operation," he said.

Khan said former NWFP Governor Ali Muhammad Jan Aurakzai was asked to leave his position because his policy of entering into peace agreements with tribal elders failed. Due to such a flawed policy, tribal militants had entered settled areas of the North West Frontier Province, he said. He also said the operation by security forces in South Waziristan would continue until the area was purged of militants.

Source : PTI