While Pakistan polling was underway, at least 5 Pakistani personnel killed, and two others were injured in a terror attack in Dera Ismail Khan District.
Militants attacked the police van first with some improvised device and they kept firing for 30 minutes on policemen in which 5 policemen were killed and two were injured in Kulachi, Dera Ismail Khan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Pakistan is amid an economic crisis now, rising militant attacks, and strained relations with neighbouring countries all these factors led the officials to decide to suspend mobile service temporarily. Also, ahead of the elections, two bomb blasts happened outside the Pakistan Election candidate’s office yesterday. According to sources, 27 causalities are reported.
To strengthen security, the decision is apt as voting is happening in such an economic crisis.
Thousands of troops were deployed on the streets and at polling stations across the country and borders with Iran and Afghanistan were temporarily closed to maintain the law and order.
5 Pakistani personnel killed in violent Pakistan elections after mobile services suspended
4 policemen were killed in a bomb blast and firing targeting a police patrol in the Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan district in the northwest, local police chief Rauf Qaisrani said.
One person was killed when gunmen opened fire on a security forces vehicle in Tank, about 40 km (25 miles) to the north.
Grenade attacks were also reported in different parts of Balochistan, but polling remained unaffected since there were no casualties, Saeed Ahmed Umrani, commissioner of the Makran division.
In spite of the security worries and bitter winter cold, long queues began forming at polling stations hours before voting was due to start. “The country is at stake, why should I come late?” said 86-year-old Mumtaz, a housewife a decade older than Pakistan itself as she queued up in Islamabad.
Besides militant violence, the election is also being held in the midst of a deep economic crisis and in a highly polarised political environment, and many analysts believe no clear winner may emerge.
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 former premier Benazir Bhutto, calling for its “immediate restoration”.
Five killed in violent Pakistan elections; mobile services suspended https://t.co/p412ZoWKyq pic.twitter.com/osEFvfygiq
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“I have asked my party to approach both ECP (Election Commission of Pakistan) and the courts for this purpose,” he posted on X.
Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja said the decision on mobile networks was made by “law and order agencies” following Wednesday’s violence and the commission would not interfere in the matter.
Jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, in a post on X, called on people to remove passwords from their personal Wifi accounts “so anyone in the vicinity can have access to internet on this extremely important day”.
Some voters also expressed anger at the move to suspend mobile services.
“Due to this, the communication with voters and others are very difficult … we are facing so many problems due to the internet closure,” said 50-year-old Mehmood Chaudry, a school teacher who cast his vote in the city of Rawalpindi.
The network suspension also follows Imran Khan’s call to his supporters, who had clashed with security forces while protesting his arrest last year, to wait outside polling booths until results are announced.
Imran Khan cast his vote via postal ballot from a prison in Rawalpindi on Thursday morning, his party’s media team told.
Unofficial first results in the election are expected a few hours after voting closes at 5 p.m. (1200 GMT) and a clearer picture is likely to emerge early on Friday.
The main contests are expected to be between candidates backed by Khan, whose party won the last national election, and the Pakistan Muslim League of three-time premier Nawaz Sharif, who is considered the front-runner.
Analysts say there may be no clear winner and the powerful military could play a role but Sharif emphasised the need for a “clear majority”.
“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 one expires in March.