Voting is underway for the National Assembly elections in Pakistan. Some land borders have been temporarily closed to ensure smooth and safe polling. Mobile phone networking and internet services are also temporarily suspended across the country. British news agency Reuters reported this on Thursday (February 8).
A spokesman for the country’s interior ministry said in a statement that the decision was taken in response to an increase in incidents of terrorism across the country, including a twin bomb attack near an election office in Balochistan province on Wednesday, the day before polls.
At least 26 people were killed in that attack. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. After that, 648 thousand security personnel were appointed in 90 thousand 675 polling stations across the country.
Despite heavy security, one person was killed when gunmen opened fire on a patrol car in the northwestern region, intelligence sources said. However, there was no confirmation of this news from the security forces. However, the borders with Iran and Afghanistan have also been closed.
Meanwhile, Imran Khan voted by postal ballot from jail. Earlier, he urged supporters to wait outside polling stations till the results are announced. Last year, Imran’s supporters vandalized several government buildings and clashed in an attempt to prevent his arrest. As a result, there is a danger of the situation deteriorating at any time.
Unofficial election results are expected to come in hours after polling closes at 5 p.m. Final results are expected by Friday morning.
More than 12.8 million registered voters are voting in this election. A total of 5 thousand 121 candidates are contesting for 266 seats in the National Assembly.
Former prime minister Imran Khan and three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif are the hot topics of the election. Although Imran’s party PTI was not allowed to participate in the elections, there are glimpses of intense competition between Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N candidates and PTI-backed independent candidates.
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