Moderate voting continues amid internet cut in Pakistan elections

By Aamir Latif and Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD / KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Standing in line outside a polling station in the southern district of the port city of Karachi, Unas Aamir is anxious as he awaits his turn to cast his ballot in Pakistan's high-stakes general elections.

He is one of the millions of first-time voters, who, according to analysts, can make a difference in the outcome of the vote if they turn out in large numbers.

"I am very excited to exercise my right to vote for the first time," Aamir told Anadolu.

"I hope this election will bring political and economic stability in the country," he said, pointing to a faltering economy and years-long political crisis.

Mustafa Qureshi, an elderly voter, shared a similar view, hoping to see a "relatively stable" Pakistan after the elections in terms of economy and politics.

A visit to several polling stations in Karachi showed a moderate turnout, with many complaining about "mismanagement and "untrained polling staff."

Polling authorities, nonetheless, expect a high turnout in the afternoon and later in the evening.

Zahid Hussein, a businessman from the capital Islamabad, was the first to vote at a polling station in the Chuk Shahzad area.

"I hope things will be better after these elections, and we will have a strong government this time compared to previous coalition setups," he told Anadolu.

Reports from the northeastern city of Lahore and Peshawar in the northwest suggest a relatively high turnout with long lines seen outside several polling stations.

Voters appear excited in Lahore, where a tough contest is expected between three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and independent candidates backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of jailed ex-Premier Imran Khan.

"It's the day to decide my own fate," Murtaza Hussein, a young voter, told Anadolu by phone.

"Pakistan came into being through a democratic struggle, and democracy is the only way to move forward," he added.

Hundreds of thousands of voters shuffled to polling stations across Pakistan to vote in the general elections early on Thursday amid heightened security and the suspension of cell phone and internet services.

President Arif Alvi was also one of those to cast his vote at a polling station in the southern port city of Karachi, his office said.

Karachi, Pakistan's most populous city, is the hometown of Alvi, who rose to the country's top seat on the PTI ticket.

After casting his vote in Model Town, Lahore in the Punjab province, Prime Minister Sharif answered questions from reporters about the future government.​​​​​​

"For God sake, don't talk about coalition government ... mandate should be given to a single party. If we win the elections, we have a strategy to steer the country out of economic predicaments," Sharif said.

Ballots will be cast for 266 general seats of the lower house — the National Assembly — and 749 general seats of the country's four provincial assemblies.

Polling began at 8.00 a.m. local time (0300GMT), and will continue until 5 p.m. without a break.

Over 128 million voters are eligible to cast a ballot to elect the new government for a five-year term.

- Violence and rigging claims

Suspension of cell phone and internet services has caused difficulties for many voters across the South Asian nation as they have been unable to access the election commission's website for their voting details.

The Interior Ministry said in a statement that cell phone and internet services were temporarily suspended due to security threats after several bombings in the past 24 hours.

At least seven security personnel have been killed in three suspected militant attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan Thursday since voting began.

​​​​​​​The attacks came a day after 29 people were killed and dozens injured in explosions in the southwestern Balochistan province and Karachi on Wednesday, compelling the government to deploy additional security personnel nationwide to maintain law and order.

Over 500,000 security personnel are on duty across the country, including in Balochistan and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces where armed groups have escalated violence, leading to the killing of nearly four dozen people in recent weeks.

At least 19 people were injured, meanwhile, in clashes in Punjab between supporters of rival candidates at several polling stations in the Kot Addu and Chakwal districts, police said.

Political parties accused the government and their respective rivals of "rigging" soon after the polling started in different parts of the country.

In Karachi, political parties complained about "mismanagement" and delayed polling, demanding immediate restoration of cell phone and internet services.

"We are unable to contact our polling agents. We don't know what's happening inside the polling stations," Taj Haider, head of the Elections Cell of the center-left Pakistan People's Party (PPP) told reporters.

The PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Aldo demanded immediate restoration of internet and cell phone services.

The party has sent a letter to the country's chief election commissioner, demanding an "immediate" restoration of cell phone and internet services across the country, a party statement said.

Similar demands were made by the PTI Jamaat-e-Islami, Muttehida Quami Movement, and other political parties.

Head of Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan's largest religio-socio-political party, Siraj-ul-Haq cast his vote in his hometown of Lower Dir district in Khyber Phaktunkhwa.

In a post on X, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan also voiced concern over the suspension, calling it a move that would "affect the transparency of the election."

A PTI candidate from northeastern Attack district, Tahir Sadiq, on X accused police of "ousting" the party's polling agents from different polling stations.

The party called on people to remove passwords of landline-based and WiFi to allow people use the Internet.

In Lahore, the PTI accused the government of "supporting" the PML (N) candidates, a charge the government has denied.

Chief Election Commissioner Raja Sikandar Sultan stressed that the suspension of internet services "will not affect the electoral process or the election commission's system."