Mobile phone services cut as chaos mars Pakistan elections
▶ Suspension of mobile phone services disrupts first vote since former leader Khan was ousted
Tens of millions of Pakistanis have voted in national elections marred by violence and cuts to mobile services.
Authorities suspended phone calls and internet services 10 minutes before voting began, drawing criticism that they were creating chaos and difficulties for voters. The Interior Ministry said “precious lives have been lost” in recent attacks by militants.
“Security measures are essential to maintain the law and order situation and to deal with potential threats,” it said.
At least nine people, including two children and six security officials, were killed in attacks nationwide during the vote, authorities said.
Shafqat Raies, a political party activist in Lahore, said he helped to set up a WhatsApp group during the election campaign, but the disruption of data services cut off the means of communicating with voters. “We could not bring several voters to voting stations due to lack of communication,” he told The National.
Samar Bilour, a candidate for the Awami National Party in a provincial constituency in Peshawar, said Thursday’s suspension of mobile services affected voting in the densely populated area.
“Despite the cellphone blackout, our activists were present outside voting stations and guiding the voters with their vote numbers. Overall the voting process remained peaceful,” she said.
The election comes almost two years after former prime minister Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote.
Khan, jailed on corruption charges last year, was barred from standing in the election and his party called the internet cut a “cowardly act” by the authorities.
Members of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party contested the vote as independents.
At least nine people were killed in attacks aimed at disrupting Pakistan’s first general elections since former prime minister Imran Khan was ousted two years ago.
Two children and six security officials were among the dead on a day marred by violence.
A suspension of mobile phone services affected voters’ ability to cast their ballots in some parts of the country.
The counting of votes started on Thursday night.
Security personnel were killed in the south-western province of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the north.
Jamil Ahmed, an official from the Kharan Police Station in Balochistan, told The National that two officers were killed when an explosive attached to their vehicle detonated. “Two other cops were injured. All of them were going to join election-related security duties when the mishap occurred,” Mr Ahmed said.
Rauf Qaisrani, a district police officer for Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, told The National that four people were killed in a bombing attack on a police convoy.
“A search operation has been launched in the area,” Mr Qaisrani added.
Authorities suspended mobile phone services, creating challenges for voters trying to obtain their registration numbers using apps or messages.
Samar Bilour, a candidate for the Awami National Party in a provincial constituency in the north-western city of Peshawar, said cuts to mobile services affected voting in the densely populated area. “Despite the cellphone blackout, our activists were present outside voting stations and guiding the voters with their vote numbers,” she told The National.
“Overall the voting process remained peaceful.”
Khan, jailed on corruption charges last year, was barred from standing in the election and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party called the internet cut a “cowardly act” by authorities.
Before each election, parties send voter numbers to constituents’ home addresses. But these numbers were not sent this year in many constituencies across the country.
Prof Altafullah Khan, an analyst in Lahore, Punjab province, told The National that the parties seemed to be focusing more on digital campaigns for the latest national poll.
He added that the lack of mobile phone services created problems for voters.
“This time, many families were even divided in voting. There were members of the same [family] who had been assigned different polling stations and they faced problems in communicating at the vote stations,” said Prof Khan, a dean at Forman Christian College in Lahore.
Shafqat Raies, a party activist in Lahore, said he helped to set up a WhatsApp group during the election campaign, but the disruption of internet services disrupted their ability to communicate with voters.
“We could not bring several voters to voting stations due to lack of communication amid the dead cell phones,” Mr Raies said.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan demanded that internet services were restored to allow people to cast their ballots.
“The ongoing disruption to services has occurred despite the Sindh High Court decision to ensure uninterrupted internet services on the polling day,” the commission said on X.
Members of the PTI have chosen to contest elections as independent candidates.
Abdul Rehman, a voter in Peshawar city, said: “I am supporting Imran Khan by voting for a candidate whom I don’t even know personally. But he is from Khan’s party.”
Former prime minister Imran Khan, jailed on corruption charges last year, was barred from standing in the election