Pakistanis vote in cliffhanger polls

> Suicide bomber kills 29 near voting centre

ISLAMABAD: A suicide bomber killed at least 29 near a polling centre as Pakistanis voted yesterday in a knife-edge general election pitting cricket hero Imran Khan ( pix) against the party of jailed ex-premier Nawaz Sharif.

The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the attack in the western city of Quetta, where security sources said the bomber drove his motorcycle into a police vehicle.

A hospital spokesman said 29 were killed and 35 others wounded in the attack.

Earlier this month, a suicide bomber killed 149 people at an election rally in the town of Mastung in Baluchistan. That attack was also claimed by IS.

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.

According to the latest opinion polls, neither Khan nor Sharif are likely to win a clear majority in the election.

Khan has emerged as a slight favourite in national opinion polls, but the divisive race is likely to come down to Punjab, the most populous province, where Sharif’s party has clung to its lead in recent surveys.

The election has been plagued by allegations the powerful armed forces have been trying to tilt the race in Khan’s favour after falling out with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) , the outgoing ruling party of Sharif who was jailed on corruption charges this month.

“Imran Khan is the only hope to change destiny of our country. We are here to support him in his fight against corruption,” said Tufail Aziz, 31, after casting his ballot in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

About 106 million people are registered to vote in polls due to close at 6pm.

The likely winner should be known by today.

Whichever party wins, it will face a mounting and urgent in-tray, from a brewing economic crisis to worsening relations with on-off ally the US to deepening crosscountry water shortages.

An anti-corruption crusader, Khan has promised an “Islamic welfare state” and cast his populist campaign as a battle to topple a predatory political elite hindering development in the impoverished nation of 208 million people, where the illiteracy rate hovers above 40%.

“This is the most important election in Pakistan’s history,” Khan, 65, said after casting his vote in the capital Islamabad.

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has inched ahead of PML-N in recent surveys, but even if it gets the most votes, it will likely struggle to win a majority of the 272 elected seats in the National Assembly. – Reuters