Pakistan’s nearly 106 million registered voters have a chance to choose their representatives in the national and provincial assemblies — as well as their next prime minister — as the country goes for its 11th General Election on July 25.
Polling began at 8AM and will conclude, without any break, at 6PM across the country’s 85,307 polling stations, of which 17,007 have been declared “highly sensitive”.
As many as 12,570 candidates are contesting for a total of 849 seats of national and provincial assemblies in the general election.
LIVE UPDATES
8:52AM: PPP leader Khurshid Ahmed Shah casts vote in NA-207’s Islamia College polling station No 29.
8:44AM: Voting delayed at polling station No 173 in NA-59 constituency.
8:35AM: Voting fails to begin at Surjani polling station No 69 in NA-252.
8:34AM: Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari and sister Aseefa Bhutto Zardari cast their vote in Nawabshah.
8:33AM: Voting fails to begin at polling station 22 in PS-24 Sukkur constituency. A large crowd of voters gathered outside the polling station. The polling process will commence shortly after the compilation of voting lists.
8:25AM – JUI-F Leader Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman casts vote in DI Khan. Rehman says only votes can bring a change in the country and the parliament. JUI-F leader asks voters to weigh their vote.
8:10AM – PTI leader Asad Umar casts vote in NA-54 Islamabad at polling stations 162.
8:07AM – PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif casts vote in Lahore, urges citizens to use their constitutional right. Shehbaz asks masses to vote for PML-N. Speaking to the media outside a polling station in Model Town, the PML-N president vowed that if given a chance his party will change Pakistan’s destiny, end unemployment, improve education/health, and build the Diamer-Bhasha dam.
8:00AM – Polling begins across Pakistan.
For a smooth polling process, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has deployed staff of around 1.6 million people at polling stations across the country.
Guarding the ECP staff and voters will be 449,465 policemen and over 370,000 military personnel.
In a special message on Tuesday, Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Sardar Raza Khan urged voters to come out of their homes and fulfil their national duty of casting the ballot.
A public holiday has been declared across the country on Wednesday in order to facilitate the voting process.
Pakistan’s National Assembly comprises a total of 342 members, of which 272 will be directly elected today whereas the rest — 60 seats reserved for women and 10 for religious minorities — are selected later through proportional representation among parties with more than five per cent of the vote.
A party can only form the government if it manages to clinch 172 seats in total.
ECP reveals method to do away with fake votes
The national electoral body said late Tuesday night it had formulated a method to do away with fake votes from the process by allowing tender votes to be cast instead.
