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A blast near a polling station killed dozens of people Wednesday as Pakistan voted in an election General opposing Prime Minister Imran Khan to imprisoned Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
A health official in Quetta said 29 bodies and 35 wounded had been taken to local hospitals. Security sources told Reuters that a bomber had driven his motorcycle into a police vehicle. NBC News could not immediately verify these details
The election will only be the second civilian transfer of power in the history of Pakistan under the nuclear weapon
About 371,000 soldiers were stationed in polling stations across the country to prevent attacks, nearly five times the number deployed in the last election in 2013.
Earlier this month, a suicide bomber killed 149 people at an election rally in Mastung city, Baluchistan – an attack claimed by militants of the Islamic State.
According to the latest polls of opinion, neither Khan nor the younger brother of Sharif Shahbaz – who took control of the … Pakistan Pakistan League Center right – are likely to win a clear majority. Nawaz Sharif was sentenced to 10 years in prison on corruption charges earlier this month.
Khan has emerged as a favorite in national opinion polls. The election was tainted by allegations that the powerful armed forces tried to turn the tide in favor of Khan and his Tehreek-e-Insaf party in the center of the country.
"Imran Khan is the only hope to change We are here to support him in his fight against corruption," said Tufail Aziz, 31, after voting in the northwestern city of Peshawar [19659013] Terrorist attack condemned by Quetta by Pak's enemies. our democratic process. Saddened by the loss of innocent lives. Pakistanis must defeat terrorists' plans by leaving to force their vote
– Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) July 25, 2018
About 106 million people are registered to vote in polls at 6 pm local (8 pm ET). The likely winner should be known around 2 pm Thursday (16:00 Wednesday ET)
The early vote was heavy in some polling stations in Islamabad, the capital, and also in the provincial capital of Punjab, with several political party leaders line to cast their ballots. Human rights groups have warned that a vindictive campaign and numerous allegations of manipulation are jeopardizing the wobbly transition to a democratic regime and raise the specter of harsh challenges to fraud after the elections.
The unprecedented participation of radical religious groups, including those banned for terrorist links but resurrected and renowned, has also raised fears that the space reserved for moderate thought may shrink further in Pakistan
. The Pakistan People's Left Party, led by Bilawal Bhutto, the son of the late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, murdered by Pakistani Taliban militants, whom she had promised to eradicate, will be led by the Pakistan People's Party from the left (19659004). from emergency, from the economic crisis that is preparing to worsening relations with the US on-off ally to deepening An anti-corruption broker, Khan promised a "Islamic welfare state" and launched its populist campaign as a battle to overthrow a predatory political elite hampering development in the mostly poor nation of 208 million people, where the rate of illiteracy exceeds 40%.
"We are launched against the mafias," said Khan, 65, at one of his last rallies in the coastal city of Karachi. "These are mafias who have made money in this country and siphoned it abroad, burying this nation in debt."
Khan has in recent years cast his image of playboy and adopted a more pious and conservative character. He promised to create 10 million jobs when he came to power and promised to build world class schools and hospitals.
The Pakistan Election Commission reminded candidates that their elections would be canceled if women's turnout did not reach 10%. 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 marking a ballot.
The commission issued its recall Tuesday after veterans' rights activist Tahira Abdullah said that local jirgas from 60 old regions of the country, representing 16 different constituencies, had signed. Agreements forbid women to vote
The results will be felt after the end of the poll, and the results should be known early Thursday, according to election officials.
