ISLAMABAD: Polling across the country concluded in a largely peaceful manner, except sporadic incidents of violence, as there are varying reports about turnout.
Vote count began in the polling stations as the PTI’s plea for extending time of casting ballot was turned down.
People turn out in droves in many parts of Punjab and, eyewitnesses say, the young and the old showed a great deal of enthusiasm. There were long queues of people at some of the polling stations in Lahore while some polling stations did not have too many people.
Except for internet and mobile services suspension, the polling process reportedly went smooth at most places.
Pakistan temporarily suspended mobile phone services on Thursday to strengthen security as voting began in the country’s national election, the interior ministry said.
ECP spokesperson Haroon Shinwari has said the results of the elections would be announced on time, adding that internet outages would not affect the electoral watchdog’s system.
Pakistan witnessed a countrywide internet and cellular outage during the electoral process. Earlier in the day, the Interior Ministry said services were suspended owing to the security situation.
The government’s decision comes amidst a rise in militant attacks in the run-up to the election and a day after jailed former prime minister and the PTI founder urged his supporters to wait outside polling booths after voting until results are announced.
“As a result of the recent incidents of terrorism in the country precious lives have been lost, security measures are essential to maintain the law and order situation and deal with possible threats, hence the temporary suspension of mobile services across the country,” the interior ministry said in a message on X.
Two blasts near election offices on Wednesday killed 24 people in the southwestern province of Balochistan.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the blasts in a message on its Telegram channel. Several other groups, including the TTP and separatist Baloch militants, oppose the Pakistani state and have also carried out attacks in recent months.
The country is on high alert with tens of thousands of troops and paramilitary soldiers on duty across the country, including at polling stations. Pakistan also said it was closing its borders with Iran and Afghanistan for the day for security purposes.
“As a result of the recent incidents of terrorism in the country precious lives have been lost, security measures are essential to maintain the law and order situation and deal with possible threats, hence the temporary suspension of mobile services across the country,” the interior ministry said in a message on X.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Like other provinces of Pakistan, polling of votes for the General Election 2024 was started in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including merged tribal districts on Thursday.
The polling began at 8 a.m. and would continue till 5 p.m. without any break in all districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In Peshawar, the voters including male and female are coming to polling stations in large numbers and exercising their right of franchise in a free, fair and transparent atmosphere.
” I have fulfilled my national obligation after casting my vote at my native polling station,’ said Manzoorul Haq, former Ambassador.
He advised voters not to wait for the afternoon to avoid the rush and come out from their homes in large numbers by polling their votes and play role in the decision process.
Sindh
The Polling process for General Elections 2024 started on Thursday across Sindh, including Karachi.
Voting started at 8 am and will continue till 5 pm without any break.
A total of 26.994 million registered voters of the province including 14.4612 million male and over 12.382 million female voters will exercise their right to vote and elect their representatives to 61 general seats of the national assembly and 130 general seats of the provincial assembly of Sindh.
In all 19006 polling stations have been established in the Sindh province with 65005 polling booths.
Over 9.2 million registered voters of Karachi will elect their candidates to 22 general seats of the national assembly and 47
general seats of the provincial assembly of Sindh.
Merged Tribal Districts
Vote polling for General Election 2024 was started in all seven merged tribal districts including Khyber on Thursday.
The polling began at 8 am and continued till 5 pm without any break. Since morning, the voters are coming to polling stations at Govt High School Bara and Govt Boys School Jamrud polling stations and casting their votes.
Great enthusiasm is being witnessed among young voters. ” I was eagerly awaiting the 2024 general election and was happy after polling my first vote today,” Asghar Afridi, a voter of tehsil Bara.
Balochistan: As many as 5,371,947 including 3,016,164 males and 2,355,783 females voters across Balochistan would exercise their right to vote amid tight security and adequate arrangements.
1696 candidates in Balochistan are contesting the election on 67 constituencies of the national and provincial assemblies.
According to details, at least 429 candidates are contesting election on 16 seats of the National Assembly from Balochistan and 1267 candidates are in the run for 51 seats of Provincial Assembly.
Nearly 28 Women from Balochistan are on the run to become members of the National Assembly on reserved seats for women.
Over 62 women and a total of 31 Non-Muslim are battling for reserve in Balochistan Assembly whereas 11 seats are reserved for women and 3 reserved seats for Non-Muslims.
PUNJAB: The polling process for general election 2024 on Thursday started in the provincial capital to elect candidates against 14 National Assembly and 30 provincial assembly seats.
The polling started at 8:00 am and will continue till 5:00 pm without any break.
The Election Commission of Pakistan has made arrangements to hold transparent polls in the country.
Total number of voters in Lahore were 12,164,417 out of which 3,636,253 were men voters and 3,221,841 were women voters.Total number of polling stations were 4357.
Transfer of votes from home constituencies sparks confusion among voters
LAHORE: As voters head to polling stations to elect their preferred candidates in the general elections of 2024, the sudden transfer of votes from home constituencies has sparked confusion and left many people bewildered upon discovering that their votes have been enrolled at distant polling stations.
According to the Election Act of 2017, eligible voters can only register their votes in the constituency where their permanent or current address is located, as per their national identity card. An exception to this rule is granted to government employees, who are allowed to enrol themselves and their family members in the constituency where they are posted.
To the dismay of many voters, there have been instances where the votes of family members have been split between two National Assembly constituencies, potentially causing significant inconvenience in exercising their democratic rights smoothly.
According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) website, a voter can apply along with a copy of their CNIC to the officer concerned of the district where they wish to enrol their name, using the prescribed form for enrolment or transfer of vote. However, it appears that the premier election regulator has failed to adhere to Article 27 and Article 37 of the Election Act of 2017 by haphazardly transferring enrollments to different constituencies.
6 security personnel martyred in KP, Balochistan attacks
At least six security personnel were martyred in separate attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan on Thursday, officials said.
The incidents came as nearly 128 million people across the country cast their votes amid an internet and cellular outage. Earlier in the day, the interior ministry said the decision to block mobile network services was taken in view of the security situation.
In KP’s Dera Ismail Khan district, four police officials were martyred in an attack on a police patrol.
According to local police chief Rauf Qaisrani, bomb blasts and firing targeted a police convoy in the Kulachi area. He added that the area had been cordoned off and further investigation was underway.
In a statement, interim KP Chief Minister Justice (retd) Arshad Hussain Shah condemned the attacks in Tank and Dera Ismail Khan. Media reports said one person was killed in a firing incident in Tank, although no official has commented on the exact number of casualties or the nature of the incident.
The chief minister said that such incidents would not deter police from performing their duties, affirming that the nation and the state were standing with the law enforcement agencies.
Meanwhile, two Levies and police personnel were martyred in Balochistan’s Kharan. The district’s deputy commissioner, Munir Ahmed Soomro, told that the incident occurred when a Levies vehicle hit a landmine en route to a polling station.
The official said seven security personnel were injured in the incident. Those in critical condition have been moved to Quetta, DC Soomro added.
Meanwhile, National Democratic Movement (NDM) Chairman and former lawmaker Mohsin Dawar wrote a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja regarding the “very serious and concerning security situation in Tappi, North Waziristan in NA-40”.
The letter, which was posted on Dawar’s account on X, stated that militants had been issuing threats to locals and the polling staff in the constituency.“Three of our female polling agents very narrowly escaped attacks […] in the morning of the polling day on Feb 8,” he said, claiming that the “Taliban in the area have taken control of the polling stations”.
Dawar further stated that he had written a letter regarding the situation to the district returning officer but said it was “ignored”.
“The election commission has to take urgent notice of the situation and take necessary action to ensure the safety of the locals and the polling staff,” he added.
Amnesty slams Pakistan’s internet shutdown as ‘blunt attack on people’s rights’
KARACHI: Amnesty International has slammed the internet shutdown and suspension of the cellular service on election day in Pakistan as a “reckless attack on people’s rights”.
“The decision to suspend telecommunications and mobile internet services on an election day is a blunt attack on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” Livia Saccardi, Interim Deputy Director for South Asia at Amnesty International, said in a post on the micro-blogging site “X”, formerly called Twitter.
“It is reckless to impede access to information as people head out to polling stations on the heels of devastating bomb blasts and what has been an intense crackdown on the opposition in the lead up to the elections in the country,” Saccardi added.Amnesty International calls on the authorities of Pakistan to adopt a rights-respecting approach and urgently lift all blanket restrictions on access to the internet. “Unwarranted restrictions on dissemination of information, despite reassurances to the contrary from the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority and Election Commission of Pakistan, are in breach of people’s human rights at this critical time in Pakistan,” Saccardi stated.
“Blanket shutdowns impacts people’s mobility, livelihood and ability to navigate through a difficult time further undermining their trust in authorities. Amnesty International calls on the authorities of Pakistan to adopt a rights-respecting approach and urgently lift all blanket restrictions on access to the internet to enable people’s access to timely information and report on any election-related matter throughout the polling process.”
Elections 2024 were held transparently, claims CEC Raja
ECP Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja has said that the elections have been 100 percent transparent throughout the country as no voter was stopped across Pakistan.
“I am sure that the results of these elections will be accepted,” he emphasized.
Talking to the media at the Election Commission office in Islamabad, he said that the election was transparent and peaceful as the polling process continued without any interruption, and no citizen was prevented from casting his vote.
Sikandar Sultan Raja said: “Where there is a connectivity issue, the concerned Presiding Officer (PO) personally went to the office of the concerned Returning Officer (RO) and provided Form 45.”
According to the law, that could only be extended till two hours, if the time was asked for.
“In three polling stations in Gujarat, the time was extended because the concerned ROs requested for the extension,” ECP CEC said.
Nawaz seeks majority govt, rules out coalition partners
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif on Thursday urged voters to give him a majority in the National Assembly to pull the country out of crises, while ruling out the possibility of forming a coalition government.
The three-time prime minister made these comments today after casting his vote in the provincial capital today along with his daughter and party’s chief organiser Maryam Nawaz.
He was accompanied by Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party leader Awn Chaudhry.
Nawaz, who is contesting from NA-130, urged the masses to come out and vote as the country needs a one-party majority to bring stability.
“We rendered sacrifices to witness the day where we are today. We have to end this culture of abuse and indecency.”
The PML-N leader — eyeing a record fourth term in the 2024 polls — hoped that the poll would bring prosperity to the country which is facing grave economic and security challenges.
When asked to comment on the formation of a government after the elections and what would be his priority, Nawaz said a party must get the majority to rule independently without dependence on others.
“For God’s sake! Don’t talk about a coalition government. One-party majority is crucial for the country.”
Taking a jibe indirectly at his rival Imran Khan’s party, he said the country needs a healing touch.
He also highlighted the sacrifices of party leaders including Shehbaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Hamza Shehbaz, saying they also spent time in jail.
Challenges after polls
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.
Unofficial first results are expected a few hours after voting closes at 5 pm and a clear picture is likely to emerge early on Friday.
Smaller political parties could play a crucial role in the formation of a government that will need 169 seats in the 336-member National Assembly. Voters directly elect 266 members while there are 70 reserved seats — 60 for women and 10 for non-Muslims —allotted according to the number of seats won by each party.
Independents, many of whom are being backed by Khan, are free to join any party if they win, which could swing fortunes after the vote. Khan has said his candidates will not back Sharif or Bhutto Zardari.
The elections also takes place under the spectre of rising militant attacks. On the eve of the election, two blasts in election offices killed 26 people in the southwestern province of Balochistan.
The country is on high alert, with the military deployed at polling stations. Tens of thousands of troops and paramilitary soldiers have been put on duty across the country. Pakistan also said it was closing its borders with Iran and Afghanistan for the day for security purposes.
Satisfied: Commonwealth observers on Pakistan electoral process
Amid ongoing electoral process across the country and recent suspension of mobile phone network, Commonwealth Observers’ Group (COG) head Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan stressed on Thursday that “casting votes are more important than internet services.”
The statement from the former Nigerian president Dr Jonathan, who is leading a 25-member COG delegation comprising journalists and experts, came after the foreign observers visited different polling stations to inspect the ongoing electoral process.
The COG delegation visited the polling stations of NA-47 Islamabad and expressed satisfaction over the polling process besides declaring it fair and transparent.
Dr Jonathan, speaking to the media, said that they are satisfied with the polling process during the Pakistan general elections. “Before the invention of the internet, we were holding polls and voting is more important than the internet,” he added.
He further said, “Voting process does not require internet, however, the suspension of internet services would only create trouble while posting the poll results.”
It is noteworthy to mention here that cellular and internet services were suspended in several parts of the country, including major cities like Islamabad, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Peshawar and others amid polling.
The spokesperson to the interior ministry confirmed the development and said that a temporary suspension of mobile phone services has been decided across Pakistan citing loss of lives in recent terrorist incidents.
It was necessary to take special measures to cope with the security threats and maintenance of law and order, the spokesperson added.
The group of eminent experts from across the Commonwealth arrived in Pakistan at the invitation of the Election Commission of Pakistan to inspect nationwide electoral event in which 128 million people have the right to vote.
The group of eminent experts from across the Commonwealth arrived in Pakistan and will be present in the country throughout the electoral process.
Today, 128 million people are heading to the polling stations set up across the country to exercise their right to vote in Pakistan.
The COG’s mandate, as set out in the Revised Commonwealth Guidelines for the Conduct of Election Observation in Member Countries, is to observe and evaluate all aspects of the pre-election environment, polling day activities and the post-election period, according to an official statement issued by the global association of 56-member state on February 4.
On election day, the Commonwealth Observer Group will observe the opening, voting, closing, counting and results management processes, before issuing an interim statement on its preliminary findings on February 10, it concluded.
Bilawal says his mandate can’t be given to anyone else
LARKANA: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday said his mandate could not be handed over to anyone else and added that the people had every right to cast their votes.
Talking to media at a polling station which visited to poll his vote, Bilawal asked the people to leave their homes and exercise their basic right, as he opined that suspending mobile phone service would result in a low turnout while also making it difficult to contact the returning officers.
Bilawal had previously accused three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif of trying to influence the caretaker governments for favourable results.
However, the PPP has been facing the allegations of vote buying in Lahore where his rival candidate Attaullah Tarar told him that the city wasn’t a no-go area and he didn’t enjoy any public support.
Earlier in the day, the PPP chairman had criticised the move to suspend the mobile phone and internet service across Pakistan, asking his party to move the courts and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Later, the PPP like the JI and the PTI asked the ECP through a written application to intervene and get the communication services unblocked.
While Bilawal is banking on a divided mandate and get into a future coalition government, a confident Nawaz has completely opposite thoughts, as he on Thursday sought a clear mandate from the people.
Asking the voters to reach polling stations, the former prime minister said no coalition government could tackle the challenges currently faced by Pakistan.
