Pakistan has temporarily suspended mobile phone services to strengthen security as voting begins in the country’s national election. The decision comes amid a rise in militant attacks in the run-up to the election and a day after jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan urged his supporters to wait outside polling booths after voting until results are announced.
The interior ministry stated that security measures are essential to maintaining the law and order situation and deal with possible threats. Two blasts near election offices on Wednesday killed 26 people in the southwestern province of Balochistan. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the blasts in a message on its Telegram channel.
Several other groups, including the Islamist Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and separatist Baloch militants, oppose the Pakistani state and have also carried out attacks in recent months. The country is on high alert with tens of thousands of troops and paramilitary soldiers on duty across the country, including at polling stations. Pakistan also closed its borders with Iran and Afghanistan for security purposes. Unofficial first results in the election are expected a few hours after voting closes at 5 p.m. (1200 GMT), and a clear picture is likely to emerge early on Friday.
The main contests are expected to be between candidates backed by Khan, whose Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party won the last national election, and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) of three-time premier Nawaz Sharif, who is considered the front-runner.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the 35-year-old son of former premier Benazir Bhutto, has also run an aggressive campaign in an outside bid for the top office. Analysts say there may be no clear winner but the powerful generals could play a role.
The two former prime ministers have switched places since the last election in 2018: Khan was believed to be backed by the military then and Sharif was in jail on corruption charges. If the election does not result in a clear majority for anyone, tackling multiple challenges will be tricky, including seeking a new bailout program from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after the current one expires in March.
(Reuters)
