Pakistanis began voting in general elections on February 8 to elect a new government to rule the cash-strapped country, with speculation that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's PML-N, which is backed by the powerful military.
The polling began at 8 a.m. and will continue without interruption until 5.00 p.m. A nationwide public holiday has been declared to allow 1,28,58,57,60 registered voters to cast their ballots. The counting will begin shortly after the voting has concluded.
Nearly 6,50,000 security personnel have been deployed across the country, and more than 12.85 crore registered voters will cast their ballots at 90,000 polling stations. Pakistan has decided to temporarily suspend mobile services due to the threat of militancy. With former Prime Minister Imran Khan in jail, Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is expected to emerge as the single largest party in the elections.
Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidates are running independently after the Supreme Court upheld the election commission's decision to strip his party of its iconic election symbol, the cricket 'bat'. In a brief pre-recorded message, PTI's jailed founding chairman urged voters to cast their ballots.
"Make sure you come out and vote in huge numbers tomorrow," he was quoted as saying in a video posted on his X account.
پاکستانیو، آپ نے صبح ہر حال میں بڑی تعداد میں نکلنا ہے,صرف ووٹ ڈلوانے نہیں بلکہ رزلٹ آنے تک پولنگ سٹیشن کے باہر رہ کر ووٹ کی حفاظت کی بھی ذمہ داری لینی ہے! pic.twitter.com/Y7Io6C26td— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) February 7, 2024
Sharif, 74, will be eying the premiership for the fourth time. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), led by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, has been declared the party's Prime Ministerial candidate in the election.
Twin bombings kill at least 28 in Balochistan day before vote
Recent violent incidents on Wednesday, including two bomb blasts targeting election offices in Balochistan province on Wednesday, have necessitated increased security, with at least 30 people killed and more than 40 injured.
There have been attacks in the Baluchistan province, which is home to different militant groups and a low-level insurgency. These attacks have raised concerns ahead of the elections in Pakistan, a troubled Western ally. The country is already facing disillusionment from voters due to political feuding and an economic crisis that seems to be intractable. Violence before and during elections is common in Pakistan, which has been struggling to control militancy. Recently, there has been a surge in attacks, particularly in Baluchistan. As a result, tens of thousands of police and paramilitary forces have been deployed throughout the country.
Pak suspends mobile services for Election Day
Pakistan suspended mobile phone services nationwide on election day to maintain law and order, according to reports."It has been decided to temporarily suspend mobile service across the country," a ministry official stated in a statement. Meanwhile, voting for national and provincial assemblies takes place at all polling stations throughout Pakistan.
As voting began at 8:00 am (0300 GMT), AFP journalists in the nation's capital Islamabad reportedly were unable to access mobile internet services. There were also reports of poor service in Karachi, a city in the south.
(With inputs from agencies)
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