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A motorcycle suicide bomber struck people in front of a polling station in the Pakistani city of Quetta on Wednesday, killing at least 31 people and casting a shadow over what was going to be a historic day for the country while Pakistani newsletters vote to elect one-third of their consecutive civilian government.
The explosion took place in the city of Quetta on July 25th.
Source: Associated Press
The attack in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, highlighted the difficulties that this majority Muslim nation faces in its journey towards sustained democracy.
The attack also injured 35 people. Pakistani Electoral Commission spokesman Nadeem Qasim told the Associated Press that the commission had issued a notice to Iran's prime minister Imran, according to a spokesman for the 39, Jaffar Kakar Hospital. Khan said his vote could be disqualified after voting in front of the television cameras, violating "the secret of the ballot."
Qasim said that Khan had violated Pakistan's constitution, which guarantees the secrecy of the vote. The pictures showed a smiling Khan with his ballot laid out in front of him while he was marking the ballot.
Wednesday's vote for a National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, and four provincial assemblies followed a ransom campaign marked by widespread allegations of manipulation. Analysts and rights groups warned of post-election instability and predicted that losing parties would be scandalous.
The uncertainty of the vote result – no party seemed assured of a simple majority victory – could also lead to prolonged post-election elections. "Regardless of how the elections unfold, I see a lot of instability," said defense analyst Ayesha Siddiqua, who wrote to Military Inc., a look at on the vast financial possessions of the Pakistani army.
An eyewitness to the Quetta attack, Abdul Haleem, who was waiting to vote, said he saw a motorcycle enter the crowd of voters just seconds before the blast. Haleem's uncle was killed in the blast.
"There was a deafening crash followed by a thick cloud of smoke and dust and so much crying from the wounded," he told The Associated Press. the bombing, but local officials quickly blamed the Islamic State group.
Baluchistan also experienced the worst violence during the election campaign, when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a political rally. Raisani. 400 others were injured. The vote in this constituency was suspended
but Baluchistan was the target of incessant attacks, both by secessionists in the province and Sunni militants who killed hundreds of Shiites living there. In recent years, the ISI affiliate in the region has emerged as a major force behind the violence, often using local Sunni radicals from Lashkar-e-Jhangvi to carry out its attacks.
Citing security concerns, the Pakistan Election Commission announced that the Internet and mobile phone services in several districts of Baluchistan have been suspended. Secretary of the Babar Yaqub Electoral Commission told reporters that there were also threats against polling stations, staff and even candidates.
Activists threw grenades and fired on a military convoy escorting election officials in the Turbat district of Baluchistan. . The Pakistani military deployed 350,000 soldiers throughout the country to polling stations.
Also on Wednesday, supporters of two opposing political parties killed one person and injured two others in a village near the city of Swabi. Later, other clashes between rival political parties killed another person and injured 15 other people in the country.
The early vote was heavy in some polling stations of Islamabad, the capital and in the provincial capital of Punjab. online to vote. Another concern is the unprecedented participation in these elections of radical religious groups, including those banned for terrorist links, but resurrected and renowned, has also raised concerns – especially for Jibran Nasir, an independent candidate of Pakistan's financial center. Karachi, said he received death threats and even been the subject of a fatwa, or religious edict, after refusing to condemn Ahmadis, insulted by mainstream Muslims as heretics because they believe that the Messiah promised in Islam happened more than a century ago. Pakistan in 1974 declared Ahmadis non-Muslims.
The main candidates for Wednesday's polls are former cricket star Imran Khan and his Tehreek-e-Insaf Party in Pakistan, and the Muslim League of Pakistan, the party of disgraced Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has been in prison for 10 years for corruption charges. His younger brother Shahbaz Sharif took control of the party.
Khan's followers watered his vehicle with rose petals while he arrived to vote in a polling station near his suburb in Islamabad. After voting, he called on the Pakistanis to vote massively "to save future generations".
The third party in the running is the Pakistani People's Left Party, led by Bilawal Bhutto, the son of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, murdered by the Pakistani Taliban, whom she had sworn to be. 39; eradicate.
Electoral authorities say more than 11,000 candidates run for 270 seats in the Pakistani legislature Lower House of Parliament and 577 seats in four provincial assemblies
The 85,307 polls opened at 8:00 am and will continue for 10 hours, an hour more than in the 2013 elections. The vote for two parliamentary seats and six seats in provincial assemblies was postponed due to attacks against candidates or disqualifications. Early results are expected early Thursday
There are more than 105 million eligible voters in Pakistan, 59 million men and 46 million women.
The Pakistan Election Commission reminded candidates that their elections would be canceled if women's turnout rate reached 10 percent. This requirement was imposed after the 2013 elections, when several regions banned the vote of women, mainly in northwestern Pakistan, religiously conservative. Some candidates were elected without a single woman casting a vote.
Tahir Abdullah, a veterans rights activist, warned Tuesday that local jirgas, or councils, from 60 regions of the country representing 16 different constituencies, had signed agreements banning women despite the new decision. While some regions refused to give in, others allowed women to vote
. In northern Waziristan, in northern Pakistan, where Taliban insurgents took refuge, women voted for the first time on Wednesday, said Mohamad Ayaz Khan. a government administrator.
"We did the story today," Khan said. "This is the first time women have come out of their homes to vote."
Each polling station is divided into separate sections for men and women, including separate election officials.
Election officials say results should be known early Thursday,
International and domestic election observers will monitor the vote. The European Union Election Observation Mission has 120 observers in the polling stations in the main centers of Pakistan, with the exception of Baluchistan.
Under Pakistan's law, separate seats are reserved for women and non-Muslim minorities. population.
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