ISLAMABAD: Voters in large numbers started flocking outside polling stations across the country on Wednesday to cast their vote in Pakistans 11th general election, according to DawnNewsTV.
Fearing violence and terrorist attacks, the Peshawar’s deputy commissioner Hamid Sheikh has arranged around 1000 ‘kafans’ (coffins) as a pre-emptive measure to deal with the situation on the polling day.
“We hope we will have a peaceful voting process but we’re ready to deal with an emergency situation,” he said, reported Wion news.
According to the Dawn, 105.95 million voters are expected to cast their votes in their respective constituencies across the country.
Pakistan saw intense campaigning ahead of the 11th general election by candidates from key parties, namely Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan’s Peoples Party(PPP).
The first vote was cast in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Charsadda.
While polling stations officially opened for voting at 8 a.m., enthusiastic citizens queued up outside their respective stations as early as 7 a.m.
#PakistanElections2018: Women queue up outside a polling booth in Lahore to cast their votes. pic.twitter.com/ebDUU2nfst
— ANI (@ANI) July 25, 2018
Lahore: PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif stand in a queue outside a polling station in Model Town to cast his vote for #PakistanElections2018 pic.twitter.com/d6AErF3LSv
— ANI (@ANI) July 25, 2018
July 25 has been declared a public holiday by the Election Commission of Pakistan, in an effort to increase voter participation.
A record number of 3,71,388 security personnel have been deployed at polling stations across the country to maintain law and order and take action against harassment, after the nation witnessed one of the bloodiest campaigning.
According to a poll official, 5,878 polling stations have been declared “highly sensitive” — official euphemism to mean they are prone to violence — in Sindh; 5,487 in Punjab and Islamabad; 3,874 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA and 1,768 in Balochistan.
Polling stations will remain open for voting till 6 p.m.
Agencies inputs