Election day in Pakistan is marked by bombing and shooting – Dagsavisen

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Polling stations have opened in Pakistan, and the Ministry of the Interior has decided to close the mobile network in connection with election day.

The reason is the need to “maintain law and order”, says a spokesman for the ministry in a statement.

Bombing and shooting

“Precious lives have been lost in attacks recently, and security measures are essential to maintain law and order and potential threats,” says the spokesman.

In a bomb attack in the north of the country, four police officers were killed, according to local police. In addition, a fifth person was killed in a shooting attack on security forces in the town of Tank.

Also outside a polling station in Lajja in the south-west of the country, two security guards were killed in a bomb attack, according to a local official. Nine others are said to have been injured.

The polling stations opened at 8 o’clock local time, or 4 o’clock Norwegian time. More than 128 million people are eligible to vote in the country, making the election one of the largest democratic exercises in the world, according to the electoral panel.

Popular politician convicted

The opinion polls suggest that 74-year-old Nawaz Sharif can get enough votes to form a government either alone or in coalition with others, according to the AFP news agency.

If this works, Sharif could become prime minister for the fourth time.

The popular opposition politician and former prime minister Imran Khan has been banned from standing for election. He has also been sentenced to a total of 34 years in prison and is banned from all politics for ten years.

Khan’s party Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is not on the ballot.

Bloody choice

The authorities have deployed more than 650,000 personnel to strengthen security in an election that has already been marked by violence.

On Wednesday, at least 28 people were killed in two explosions outside the offices of political candidates in Baluchistan province, according to regional authorities.

In addition to shutting down the mobile network, the authorities have also chosen to close the borders to the neighboring countries of Iran and Afghanistan to all traffic as a security measure.

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