Pakistan votes in tense, violencemarred polls

ON THE BOIL 35 people killed in ISclaimed suicide bomb attack, electionrelated incidents

stations, reports said.

Nearly 10.6 crore people are registered to vote for members of the lower house of parliament and four provincial assemblies. The election marks the second democratic transition of power in the nation’s 70-year history.

The voting started at 8am local time on more than 85,000 polling stations. The counting of votes will be done on the spot soon after the conclusion of the polling process at 6pm and results will be announced within 24 hours.

While polling stations officially opened for voting at 8am, enthusiastic citizens queued up outside their respective stations as early as 7am.

Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa cast his vote in Rawalpindi. Shahbaz Sharif, the president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) who is hoping to become the next prime minister, was among the first to cast his vote in Lahore.

“Just cast my vote. High time that all of you came out to vote for Pakistan’s progress and prosperity. May this election be a source of peace and stability for the nation!,” he tweeted.

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former Sindh chief minister Murad Ali Shah, MQM-P’s Farooq Sattar, Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) chairman Mustafa Kamal, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaad (PTI) chief Imran Khan, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Bilawal Bhutto and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman also cast their vote in their respective constituencies.

wThe two Bhutto sisters — Asifa Bhutto Zardari and Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari — also cast their votes.

Bakhtawar posted a picture after casting a vote with her sister.

PTI Members of Maratha community block traffic during a protest rally demanding reservation in Thane on Wednesday. After reports of several incidents of violence, Maratha leaders have called off the bandh in Mumbai and Thane. >>P11

AP People wait in a queue to cast their votes in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Wednesday.