2024-02-08T06:38:04+00:00
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/ Tens of millions of voters in Pakistan began casting their votes on Thursday morning in legislative and regional elections that are taking place amid security and political tensions and are expected to lead to the return of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to assume the premiership for a fourth term.
At exactly 8:00 a.m. local time, about 90,000 polling stations opened their doors to voters.
This comes a day after at least 28 people were killed in two bombings in the southwest of the country.
The Pakistani Interior Ministry announced a “temporary suspension of mobile phone services” throughout the country throughout the election day, citing security reasons, according to Agence France-Presse.
The vote is being held amid allegations of fraud levelled by the opposition against the government following a crackdown on the party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
About 128 million voters were called to cast their ballots in these elections to choose the 336 members of the Federal Parliament and members of the regional parliaments.
Pakistan, with a population of 240 million, is the fifth most populous country in the world.
The elections are being held amidst human rights organizations questioning their credibility due to the campaign against Khan’s party, according to Agence France-Presse.
The spectre of Khan, who has been sentenced to long prison terms for treason, graft and illegal marriage, looms over these elections.
With Khan in jail, his party barred from holding election rallies, the media restricted in its coverage of the opposition and the Election Commission rejecting dozens of the party’s candidates nationwide, the PML-N is poised to win the largest number of seats in the federal parliament.
Such a victory would give the league’s founder, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, 74, a fourth chance to run the country.