The Balochistan government declared 18 out of 35 districts as “risk prone” ahead of the 2024 general election. It slowed down electioneering and campaigning. With 2055 polling stations declared “extremely sensitive” and 2080 as “sensitive,” voters felt discouraged from voting. According to Baluchistan National Party’s Vice-President, advocate Sajid Tareen polling stations were deliberately moved to “sensitive” areas to enable polling rigging. Since 2008, armed groups have targeted polling stations while 2013 and 2018 witnessed attacks on candidates and polling stations. A coalition of Balochistan militant groups called Baloch Rajwi Agwisan (BRAS) also announced to boycott Feb 8 polls.
