Pakistan temporarily shut down parts of its land borders and suspended mobile phone services on Thursday to ensure the safety of voters in the general election, Reuters reported.
The government’s decision to deploy tens of thousands of soldiers at polling stations and across the country came after 26 people were killed in two blasts near polling stations in the southwestern province of Balochistan on Wednesday. Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the explosions. Pakistan’s foreign ministry stated on X:
As a result of the recent incidents of terrorism in the country precious lives have been lost, security measures are essential to maintain the law and order situation and deal with possible threats.
The attack on polling stations followed a call by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan to wait outside polling booths after voting until results were announced. Last year, his supporters vandalised several government buildings and clashed with troops in an attempt to prevent his arrest.
The borders with Iran and Afghanistan have also been closed.Despite heavy security, one person was killed when militants opened fire on a patrol vehicle in the northwestern area of Tank.
Informal first election results are expected a few hours after polls close at 17:00. (12:00 GMT), with more precise details to emerge early Friday morning.
The main political confrontation is expected between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which won the last national election under Khan, and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) of three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the 35-year-old son of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, has also campaigned.
Analysts believe that despite the absence of a clear favourite, influential generals could play their part, as the military has dominated Pakistan directly or indirectly during its 76 years of independence. However, they claimed for several years that they stayed out of politics.
The deciding factor is which side the powerful military and its security agencies are on. Only a huge turnout in favour of PTI can change its fortunes.
Minor political parties can be instrumental in forming a government that will need 169 seats in the 336-member parliament. Voters directly elect 266 members, with 70 reserved seats – 60 for women and 10 for non-Muslims – allocated based on the number of seats won by each party.
