At least five people were killed in militant attacks as Pakistan held general elections on Thursday after temporarily suspending mobile phone services across the country and closing several land borders to maintain law and order.
The interior ministry said it took the step after at least 26 people were killed in two blasts near an election candidate’s office in the southwestern province of Balochistan on Wednesday.
The Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the attack.
“Due to the recent incidents of violence in the country, precious lives have been lost, security measures are essential to maintain law and order and deal with possible threats,” the ministry said in a post on the X messaging platform.
Thousands of troops were deployed on the streets and at polling stations across the country and the borders with Iran and Afghanistan were temporarily closed.
There have been at least five people killed in new attacks as Pakistan holds general elections on February 8, 2024. AP
Four policemen were killed in a bomb blast and gunfire 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 force vehicle in Tank, about 25 miles to the north.
Grenade attacks were also reported in different parts of Balochistan, but voting remained unaffected as there were no casualties, Saeed Ahmed Umrani, Makran divisional commissioner, told Reuters.
Pakistani soldiers patrol near a polling station, during the general election in Karachi, Pakistan, on February 8, 2024. REHAN KHAN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Despite security concerns and the cold winter, long lines began to form at polling stations hours before voting began. “The country is at stake, why should I come late?” said Mumtaz, 86, a housewife a decade older than Pakistan itself as she queued in Islamabad.
Militant violence aside, the election is also being held amid a deep economic crisis and in a highly polarized political environment, and many analysts believe no clear winner will emerge.
The move to suspend mobile networks sparked criticism from opposition party leaders, with the Pakistan People’s Party’s Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the 35-year-old son of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, calling for “immediate restoration.”
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the deadly militant attack, as Pakistan holds general elections on February 8, 2024. AP
“(I) have requested my side to approach both the ECP (Election Commission of Pakistan) and the court for this purpose,” he wrote on X.
Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja said decisions on mobile networks were made by “law and order agencies” following Wednesday’s violence and that the commission would not interfere in the matter.
REMOVE PASSWORD
Imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party (PTI), in a broadcast on X, called on people to remove passwords from their personal Wi-Fi accounts “so that anyone in the vicinity can have access to the internet on the day this is very important”.
Election workers collect voting materials at a distribution center in Peshawar, northwest Pakistan, on February 7, 2024. Xinhua/Shutterstock
Some voters also expressed anger at the suspension of mobile services.
“Because of this, communication with voters and others is very difficult … we are facing so many problems because of the internet shutdown,” said Mehmood Chaudry, 50, a school teacher who cast his vote in the city of Rawalpindi.
The suspension of the network also follows Imran Khan’s call to his supporters, who clashed with security forces during protests against his arrest last year, to wait outside polling stations until the results are announced.
Workers and volunteers transport victims of the Qillah Saifullah district bomb blast, upon arrival at a hospital in Quetta, Pakistan, on February 7, 2024. AP
Khan cast his vote by postal ballot from a prison in Rawalpindi on Thursday morning, his party’s media team told Reuters.
The first unofficial results of the election are expected hours after polls close at 5pm and a clearer picture is likely to emerge as early as Friday.
A primary contest is expected between candidates backed by Khan, whose party won the last national election, and the Pakistan Muslim League represented by three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who is considered the front runner.
Security officials inspect the site of a bomb blast in Khanozai, Pashin, a district in Baluchistan province, Pakistan. AP
Analysts say there may be no clear winner and a powerful military could play a role but Sharif stressed the need for a “clear majority”.
“Don’t talk about a coalition government. It is very important for the government to get a clear majority…it should not depend on others,” Sharif told reporters after casting his vote in the eastern city of Lahore.
The military has ruled the nuclear-armed country either directly or indirectly in its 76 years of independence but for several years it has maintained its non-interference in politics.
“The determining factor is which side the army is in power and which side the security agencies are on,” said Abbas Nasir, a columnist. “Only a large turnout in favor of PTI (Khan) can change his fortunes.”
He added: “The economic challenge is so serious, so heavy, and the solution so painful that I’m not sure how anyone in power is going to steady the ship.”
If the election doesn’t produce a clear majority for anyone, as analysts predict, tackling multiple challenges will be difficult – the most important being finding a new bailout program from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after the current one expires in March.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
