Voting is in progress across Pakistan in national
and provincial elections.
The vote marks Pakistan's first changeover
from one civilian government to a further in its 66-year history. though, the accumulate
to the election has been flawed by violence in which more than 100 people have
been killed.A bomb blast in the port city of Karachi on Saturday morning left
11 people dead and 40 others injured, officials said.Tens of thousands of troops
are deployed at polling stations after the Pakistani Taliban exposed to carry
out suicide attacks.
Pakistani voters are for the first time
exercising their right to endorse or reject the performance of the rulers they
chose the last time. In the past, governments elected by them were sacked by
the presidents or the military.
This historic instant comes at the end of a
bloody movement in which the Pakistani Taliban have attacked a number of
political groups, principally the liberal, secular ones.
But violent campaigns in Punjab and parts of
the northwest, where traditional forces are challenged by the resurgent former
captain, Imran Khan, are making the fight appealing, and capricious. This is
why some analysts are predicting a higher voter turnout.
One negative aspect is that the election is
being held against the background of complex issues related to militancy, peace
and security in area and their impact on economy.
Hours earlier than polls opened, Pakistan
sealed its borders with Iran and Afghanistan in a proposition to keep foreign
militants at cove which will remain closed for the next three days.
Queues started forming before polling
stations opened at 08:00 (03:00 GMT) on Saturday.At one polling station in the
capital, Islamabad, more than 200 people waited tolerantly to vote.
Abdul Sattar, 74, said: "We want change,
we are really fed up with old faces coming back to power every time and doing
nothing for the nation."
The Taliban on Friday warned voters to
boycott polling stations in order to avoid attacks on the offices of political
parties.
The militants have been blamed for several
attacks all through the campaign on Pakistan's three most famous liberal
parties.
As a result, the parties were forced to
curtail their election campaigning.
Sporadic violenceAround two hours after polling started, a
bomb attack was reported in Karachi, apparently targeting an ANP candidate
outside the party's political office.
Elections
Statistical Reports
Polls opened at 08:00 local time (03:00 GMT)
and close at 17:00
86,189,802 registered voters
5,000 are standing for 342-seat National
Assembly, 272 are directly elected.
11,692 Provincial Assembly candidates
51 candidates are vying for the NA-48
constituency seat in Islamabad
More than 600,000 security and army personnel
will be deployed to guard against possible attacks
More than 73,000 polling stations - 20,000 of
which are deemed a security risk
Polls will mark the first time that a
civilian government has completed a full five-year term and handed over to an
elected successor.
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