By IANS
Islamabad : Polls in parts of Pakistan’s troubled North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and adjacent tribal areas may be delayed, according to media reports here.
The government would try to ensure that elections are held across the country on Feb 18 but polls “could be delayed in some parts of the NWFP and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) because of the present state of unrest”, Pakistan’s Information Minister Nisar Memon told reporters Monday.
Daily Times quoted the minister as saying the government would first try to end unrest in these areas through jirgas (tribal assemblies), and an army operation would only be conducted “as a last option”.
The region, bordering Afghanistan, has emerged as a hub of pro-Taliban militants. Various levels of militant mobilisation and violence are badly affecting 22 of the 24 districts in the NWFP.