Peshawar: The government of Pakistan's troubled North West Frontier Province on Saturday asked the Election Commission to postpone by-elections in the Swat valley due to fears that Taliban militants could disrupt the polls and target provincial ministers.
The Awami National Party, which rules the NWFP, asked the poll panel to put off by-elections in an assembly constituency that fell vacant after lawmaker Shamsher Ali Khan was killed by a suicide bomber earlier this month.
Provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told a news conference here this evening that there were reports that militants could disrupt the by-polls.
He said all provincial ministers belonging to the ANP and some senior police officers were on the hit list of the militants.
"We have been informed by the Punjab government that a group of terrorists are on a mission to carry out attacks on ANP ministers during the Islamic month of Muharram," he said.
Hussain said the Punjab government had said the group of terrorists had been "specially assigned" to target him and other ANP ministers for openly criticising the militants.
Authorities in Punjab had also given the names of terrorists who could carry out attacks.
They include Muhammad Sheraz Mavia, "commander" Ahmad Hassan and Amirullah Siddique.
However, Hussain said the NWFP government will not back down from its stand on eliminating militancy and terrorism because of such threats.
"We will die and embrace martyrdom but will not bow down to the threats of militants," said Hussain, who has been vocal in his criticism of the Taliban and suicide attacks.
He said the NWFP government should not be held responsible if the Election Commission decides to go ahead with by-polls in the militancy-hit constituency and there are any untoward incidents.
The constituency has not been completely cleared of militants and local authorities believe the situation there is not conducive to the holding of polls, he added.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, December 19, 2009, 21:38