Politics
12:13, 25-Jul-2018
Pakistan votes as suicide blast kills 29
Updated
11:51, 28-Jul-2018
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At least 29 people, including three policemen, were killed and over 40 others injured in a suicide attack near a polling station in Quetta City of Pakistan's southwest Balochistan Province on Wednesday, Xinhua reported, citing hospital official Waseem Baig.
Balochistan Inspector General of Police Mohsin Butt said that a suicide bomber riding on a motorcycle attacked a police vehicle in front of a polling station in the eastern bypass area of Quetta.
The hospital official said that the death toll might further rise as five of the wounded are in critical condition. At least two children were among the killed.
Pakistani army soldiers enter a voting materials distribution center in Rawalpindi, July 24, 2018. /VCG photo
Pakistani army soldiers enter a voting materials distribution center in Rawalpindi, July 24, 2018. /VCG photo
ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack. The group said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber, but did not provide further detail or evidence for its claim.
About 371,000 soldiers have been stationed at polling stations across the country to prevent attacks, nearly five times the number deployed at the last election in 2013.
Earlier on July 13, at least 152 people were killed and over 150 others sustained injuries in a suicide attack at a political gathering in Mastung district of Balochistan.
Polls open for Pakistanis
Voters started reaching polling stations in the morning to cast their votes to elect a new government for the next five years with hopes of bringing economic progress and stability to the country.
Polling started at 8:00 a.m. local time and will continue uninterrupted till 6:00 p.m. in the evening.
Voters queue to cast their vote during general elections outside a polling station in Peshawar, Pakistan, July 25, 2018. /VCG photo
Voters queue to cast their vote during general elections outside a polling station in Peshawar, Pakistan, July 25, 2018. /VCG photo
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had finalized 3,459 candidates to contest for 272 general seats of the National Assembly, and 8,396 for 577 general seats of the four provincial assemblies, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh.
However, the elections on two National Assembly seats and six provincial assembly seats have been postponed due to multiple reasons, including the death of some candidates.
Most forecasters are predicting a hung parliament that will require a coalition government as the razor-thin polling lead by former cricketer Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party over jailed ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is unlikely to result in a majority from the 272 elected seats in the National Assembly.
4567km
Source(s): Reuters
,Xinhua News Agency