Islamabad: At least 35 people were killed and several injured mostly in a suicide bombing in Balochistan Wednesday as millions of voters thronged polling stations across the country to cast votes in the 11th general election.
The Balochistan bombing targeted the convoy of Deputy Inspector General of Police Abdul Razzaq Cheema near a polling station. It left 31 persons, including cops, dead. The senior police official escaped unhurt, Geo News reported. Civil Hospital Quetta officials confirmed the casualties.
The area was crowded as people were making their way to vote at Tameer-e-Nau Model School. Polling was halted at the polling station, only to resume later.
While polling stations opened at 8 am, enthusiastic citizens queued up outside their respective stations as early as 7 am. Voting ended at 6 pm. Halfway through polling, the PML-N had sent a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, seeking an extension in time by one hour. “The PML-N is making this demand under Section 70 of the Election Act 2017, which authorises ECP to ‘extend polling hours already fixed’,” read the letter signed by Mushahid Hussain. The ECP, however, turned down the party’s request. The counting of the votes is being done simultaneously.
Imran’s party ahead of others
Islamabad: Pakistan’s flamboyant cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was leading in 103 parliamentary seats while its main rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was ahead on 59 seats in the initial round of counting Wednesday in an election. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) of former President Asif Ali Zardari was leading in 34 seats, a sign indicating that he could play a ‘kingmaker’ in case of a hung parliament. Independents were ahead in 20 seats, according to trends available for 230 seats out of 272 seats. The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) – an alliance of traditional religious parties such as Jamaat-e-Islami led by Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl headed by Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan led by Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani and Tehreek-e-Jafaria led by Allama Sajid Naqvi – was leading in 12 national assembly seats.
