Irregularities, violence mar Pakistan polls

Pakistan began counting votes after polling ended yesterday in a general election marred by militant attacks, suspension of mobile phone and internet services and widespread vote rigging claims.

Pollsters predicted a low turnout from the country's 128 million eligible voters following a lacklustre campaign overshadowed by the jailing of former prime minister Imran Khan, and the hobbling of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party by the military-led establishment.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is expected to win the most seats in the vote, with analysts saying its 74-year-old founder Nawaz Sharif has the blessing of the generals.

Adding to concerns about the integrity of the vote, authorities suspended mobile phone services just 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 -- later claimed by the Islamic State group -- killed 28 people and wounded at least 30 more in southwestern Balochistan province.

The vote was held as the South Asian country struggles to recover from an economic crisis while it grapples with rising militant violence in a deeply polarised political environment.

A clear picture is likely to emerge early today as counting continues through the night.

The national assembly has 265 seats and polling in one seat was postponed due to the death of a candidate. A party needs 133 seats for a simple majority but many analysts believe the vote may not produce a clear winner.

Thousands of troops were deployed on the streets and at polling stations across the country and borders with Iran and Afghanistan were temporarily closed as security was stepped up to ensure peaceful polling.

Despite the heightened security, nine people, including two children, were killed in bomb blasts, grenade attacks and shootings.

At least 26 people were killed in two explosions near electoral candidates' offices in the southwestern province of Balochistan on Wednesday. Islamic State later claimed responsibility for those attacks.

Yesterday's victims included five police killed in a bomb blast and firing on a patrol in the Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan district in the northwest, authorities said. Two children died in a blast outside a women's polling station in Balochistan.

Except for Pakistan Muslim League (N), mainstream political parties such as the Pakistan People's Party, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf have reported vote rigging at polling stations across the country, reports Dawn.

The PTI also claimed that election results across the country are being delayed after ousted PM Imran Khan's candidate emerged victorious.

"Despite a few isolated incidents, the overall situation remained under control, demonstrating the effectiveness of our security measures," caretaker Interior Minister Gohar Ejaz said in a statement.

Mobile phone services suspended for security reasons were being partially resumed, the Interior Ministry said late yesterday.

The move to suspend mobile networks sparked criticism from leaders of opposition parties, with the Pakistan Peoples Party's Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the 35-year-old son of assassinated former premier Benazir Bhutto, calling for its "immediate restoration".

Amnesty International called it "a blunt attack on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly".

Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja said the decision on mobile networks was made by "law and order agencies" following Wednesday's violence.

PTI, in a post on X, called on people to remove passwords from their personal Wifi accounts "so anyone in the vicinity" could have internet access.

However, Nawaz Sharif dismissed talk of an unclear result.

"Don't talk about a coalition government. It is very important for a government to get a clear majority... It should not be relying on others," he told reporters after casting his vote in the eastern city of Lahore.

The military has dominated the nuclear-armed country either directly or indirectly in its 76 years of independence but for several years it has maintained it does not interfere in politics.

"The deciding factor is which side the powerful military and its security agencies are on," said Abbas Nasir, a columnist. "Only a huge turnout in favour of (Khan's) PTI can change its fortunes."

He added: "Economic challenges are so serious, grave, and the solutions so very painful that I am unsure how anyone who comes to power will steady the ship."

If the election does not result in a clear majority for anyone, as analysts are predicting, tackling multiple challenges will be tricky - foremost being seeking a new bailout programme from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after the current arrangement expires in March.