ISLAMABAD: Counting is currently underway after millions of Pakistanis cast their votes in an election marked by allegations of rigging and a shutdown of mobile phone services, while Pakistani politician Imran Khan remains in jail.
Pollsters predicted a low turnout from the country’s 128 million eligible voters following a lackluster campaign overshadowed by the jailing of former prime minister Khan and the hindering of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party by the military-led establishment.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is anticipated to win the most seats in Thursday’s vote, with analysts stating that its 74-year-old founder, Nawaz Sharif, has the support of the generals.
Authorities suspended mobile phone services as polls opened and only began to restore them more than three hours after polls shut at 5:00 pm local time (1200 GMT). The interior ministry said the outage was “to maintain law and order” after two blasts on Wednesday that led to the deaths of 28 people.
Nighat Dad, a lawyer who operates the not-for-profit Digital Rights Foundation, condemned the blackout as “an attack on the democratic rights of Pakistanis,” stating that “shutting down mobile phone services is not a solution to national security concerns. If you shut down access to information you create more chaos.”
Over 650,000 army, paramilitary, and police personnel were deployed to provide security on Thursday. At least seven officers were killed in two separate attacks targeting election security details, and officials reported a string of minor blasts in the southwestern Balochistan province that wounded two people.
There were concerns that the internet disruption prevented voters from finding their polling stations. First results are expected before midnight, but voting patterns are not anticipated until Friday morning. “My only fear is whether my vote will be counted for the same party I cast it for. At the same time, for the poor it does not matter who is ruling — we need a government that can control inflation,” said Syed Tassawar, a 39-year-old construction worker.
This election had a similar air to the 2018 poll, but with the tables turned. Then, it was Sharif who was disqualified from running due to a series of convictions for graft, while Khan swept to power with the backing of the military, as well as genuine support.
When casting his vote at a school in Lahore Thursday, Sharif denied making any deal with the military to rule. The history of Pakistan elections is marked with allegations of rigging but also favoritism, said Bilal Gilani, executive director of polling group Gallup Pakistan.
Pollsters predicted a low turnout from the country’s 128 million eligible voters following a lackluster campaign overshadowed by the jailing of former prime minister Khan and the hindering of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party by the military-led establishment.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is anticipated to win the most seats in Thursday’s vote, with analysts stating that its 74-year-old founder, Nawaz Sharif, has the support of the generals.
Authorities suspended mobile phone services as polls opened and only began to restore them more than three hours after polls shut at 5:00 pm local time (1200 GMT). The interior ministry said the outage was “to maintain law and order” after two blasts on Wednesday that led to the deaths of 28 people.
Nighat Dad, a lawyer who operates the not-for-profit Digital Rights Foundation, condemned the blackout as “an attack on the democratic rights of Pakistanis,” stating that “shutting down mobile phone services is not a solution to national security concerns. If you shut down access to information you create more chaos.”
Over 650,000 army, paramilitary, and police personnel were deployed to provide security on Thursday. At least seven officers were killed in two separate attacks targeting election security details, and officials reported a string of minor blasts in the southwestern Balochistan province that wounded two people.
There were concerns that the internet disruption prevented voters from finding their polling stations. First results are expected before midnight, but voting patterns are not anticipated until Friday morning. “My only fear is whether my vote will be counted for the same party I cast it for. At the same time, for the poor it does not matter who is ruling — we need a government that can control inflation,” said Syed Tassawar, a 39-year-old construction worker.
This election had a similar air to the 2018 poll, but with the tables turned. Then, it was Sharif who was disqualified from running due to a series of convictions for graft, while Khan swept to power with the backing of the military, as well as genuine support.
When casting his vote at a school in Lahore Thursday, Sharif denied making any deal with the military to rule. The history of Pakistan elections is marked with allegations of rigging but also favoritism, said Bilal Gilani, executive director of polling group Gallup Pakistan.