Live: Elections 2024

Strict arrangements have been made for security in Karachi’s district Korangi, said SSP Hassan Sardar Ahmed Khan.

He said that the polling process had started and 5,271 police personnel were posted on election duty for security.

District Korangi has 725 polling stations out of which 509 polling stations have been declared highly sensitive and 216 sensitive, he said.

NetBlocks, a global internet watchdog, has said that the ongoing internet suspension in Pakistan was “inherently undemocratic” and known to “cause irregularities in the voting process”.

“The ongoing election day internet blackout in Pakistan is amongst the largest we’ve observed in any country in terms of severity and extent,” NetBlocks director Alp Toker told AFP.

“The practice is inherently undemocratic and is known to limit the work of independent election observers and cause irregularities in the voting process.”

Dawn.com staff Siham Basir witnessed a “dismal” voter turnout at a polling station in Karachi’s NA-241 constituency. She said the lines were not very long at the Government Girls College, Zamzama and by the time she left, there was no line at all.

“One polling officer seemed completely untrained because she was not even able to cross our names out let alone find our names efficiently. The greatest inefficiency was in checking the electoral rolls,” she said.

“At my polling station, there were a lot of elderly people — people in wheelchairs and using walking sticks — but they were made to walk up a flight of stairs instead of a facility being made available on the ground floor. I witnessed one elderly man being carried up in his wheelchair and one man having to physically lift his mother up the stairs so she could vote,” she noted.

“Despite going at 8am and being among the first people there, some of the polling agents were rude and were yelling. They also didn’t check for mobile phones — a man pulled out his phone in front of me to ask the presiding officer something,” she said.

The Faisalabad police have uprooted the camps set up by candidates outside polling station number 340 at MC High School in the district’s NA-101 constituency.

According to Dawn.com correspondent Kashif Hussain, the camps were uprooted as they were established within a distance of 100 metres from the polling station, which was against the rules.

Video footage showed policemen tearing down party banners and uprooting polling camps of the PML-N and other candidates.

A low voter turnout was reported at a polling station in North Nazimabad’s Block I for Karachi’s NA-250 constituency.

Dawn.com staffer Mashael Shah said she reached the Ibrahim Ali Bhai Govt School at 10am to cast her vote, adding that attendance was thin.

“It took five minutes to go in and vote and there was practically no wait,” she said. She further said that only the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) had set up a camp outside the polling station.

The polling process has started in Karachi’s district Central, according to SSP District Central Zeeshan Shafique Siddiqui.

More than 2.1 million voters are exercising their right to vote at a total of 391 polling buildings and 1,255 polling stations, he said, adding that police had made full security arrangements in this regard.

He said that 685 polling stations have been declared highly sensitive while 570 polling stations have been declared sensitive. More than 8,900 male and female police officers have been deputed for security while 7,645 officers are posted at polling stations, he added.

The highly sensitive polling stations are also being monitored with the help of CCTV cameras, according to the SSP.

With around 5,000 candidates contesting for 265 National Assembly seats today, things are expected to get quite chaotic when results start trickling in later in the evening. With voters eager to find out if their favoured candidates are ahead and where their favourite party stands in the race to ‘win’ the general election, every single constituency will count.

Amidst the hundreds of contests today, there are some that will be more closely watched than others, for a variety of reasons. These could include areas which are battleground constituencies due to their swing potential, areas where two or more strong candidates are contesting, or areas which are likely to see heightened tensions due to the prominence or history of the people involved.

Given the contestants’ political mettle, these will not be easy fights for any of the candidates involved.

Read the full story here.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has said that its central election monitoring control centre in Islamabad is “fully functional” and is in “constant communication” with its regional and district-level counterparts.

In a press release, monitoring centre in-charge Haroon Khan Shinwari said Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja was present at the premises to supervise the electoral process.

“The polling process is under way in a peaceful manner,” the electoral watchdog stated, adding that “no complaints have been received as yet from anywhere”.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that mobile phone services in the country must be restored “immediately”.

He further said that he has asked the party to approach the Election Commission of Pakistan and the courts in this regard.

Shortly before polling began, mobile phone signals were shut down “temporarily” at the interior ministry’s directives over security issues, prompting criticism from politicians and journalists.

In a statement, the ministry said, “Recent surge in terrorist activities resulting in precious lives have stirred security environment in the country.”

Therefore, it added, “need has arisen to take measures to safeguard against” security threats.

Caretaker Federal Minister for Information Murtaza Solangi has said that “voting is a part of patriotism”.

“Voting is your national duty. The country’s democratic future and your well-being depend on you stepping out of your homes to perform your national and democratic duty,” he said after casting his vote in Islamabad’s NA-46.

Former PTI leader Asad Umar has underscored the “power” of voting in a post on X.

“The greatest power a citizen has in a democratic country is the power of their vote. In our system, this option is given only once in five years. That’s why today is a special day. Use your power. Vote according to your conscience and thinking,” he stated.

Internet monitor Netblocks has said that real-time data shows that internet blackouts are now in effect in “multiple regions of Pakistan in addition to mobile network disruptions”.

“The incident comes on election day and follows months of digital censorship targeting the political opposition,” it said.

This comes after mobile phone signals were shut down “temporarily” at the interior ministry’s directives over security issues.

In a statement, the ministry said, “Recent surge in terrorist activities resulting in precious lives have stirred security environment in the country.”

Therefore, it added, “need has arisen to take measures to safeguard against” security threats.

Caretaker Federal Minister for Information Murtaza Solangi has cast the first vote at a polling station in Islamabad’s NA-46.

According to PTV News, the minister reached the polling station before voting began at 8am and cast the first vote.

Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja has said that he hoped that the election process will be “free and fair” and will conclude safely. He stressed that shutting down or allowing internet and mobile services was beyond the ECP’s mandate.

“We have clarified multiple times that our system is not dependent on the internet — it will not affect our preparations,” he told the media outside the ECP office in Islamabad.

He further said that the ECP did not give any instructions to the interior ministry regarding internet services. “This is the decision of the law and order agencies. We can only give our recommendations,” he said.

“If we give them directions [to open mobile services] and if there is any incident, then who will be responsible?” he asked.

The PTI has termed the suspension of mobile services across the country an “infuriating betrayal” by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.

It referred to the PTA’s earlier statement of receiving no instructions from the government to block internet services

“Shutting down phone service is a deliberate suppression of citizens’ rights and a mockery of democracy,” the party said in a post.

The polling process has begun across Swat with security placed at all sensitive polling stations, reports Dawn News’ Murad Ali Khan.

The first vote has been cast at the polling station in Haji Baba School, he reports from Swat’s NA-3. “In all constituencies of Swat, the polling process has started. Security has been placed in great numbers at all sensitive polling stations,” he said.

“In Swat, the polling process has begun in a peaceful atmosphere. This is a national cause, it is a big day for us. Security is made foolproof after a month of homework,” Swat District Police Officer Shafiullah Gandapur told Dawn News.

“We have deployed more than 6,500 police personnel, along with the support from FC North and the Pakistan army,” he added.

Internet monitor Netblocks has said that live network data shows a “disruption to mobile internet in Pakistan with high impact to second-largest operator Zong”.

The data corroborated widespread user reports of outages, it added.

Former PPP senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar has said that the shutting down of mobile services on polling dat “is the beginning of election day rigging”.

“Pre-poll environment was already one of the worst in Pakistan’s history. Cutting candidates off from their agents and staff on election day is unacceptable,” he said.

“How’s one supposed to keep a check and highlight any irregularity? By the time news comes out, election would have been stolen,” he said.

Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi has said that “all registered political parties are being given equal opportunities for contesting the elections”.

According to Radio Pakistan, Solangi told DW News that the caretaker government has “shown full commitment to its mandate and role” to assist the electoral watchdog in conducting the polls.

Islamabad police has said that security at polling stations is on alert.

“The [police] personnel reached the polling stations across the territory yesterday morning. As long as the polling stations are staffed, security will remain alert.

“Along with 6,500 personnel of Islamabad police, 1,000 FC, 1,500 Rangers and Pakistan Army personnel are performing their duties in the federal capital,” it said.

Former prime minister Imran Khan and other prominent incarcerated political figures have cast their votes through a postal ballot from Adiala Jail, sources said.

Other political leaders who have managed to vote by mail included former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid, and former information minister Fawad Chaudhry.

However, Bushra Bibi, was unable to partake in the voting as she was convicted and arrested after the completion of the postal voting process.

Read the full story here.

The interior ministry has decided to “temporarily suspend mobile services across the country” in light of the “deteriorating security situation”.

In a statement, the ministry said, “Recent surge in terrorist activities resulting in precious lives have stirred security environment in the country.”

Therefore, it added, “need has arisen to take measures to safeguard against” security threats.

Geo News is reporting that mobile phone services have been disrupted in several parts of the country, including Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar.

With 56m of the voters below the age of 35, and roughly 29m in the 36-45 bracket, Pakistan’s younger generations are in a position to heavily influence the results. There is also a marked gender imbalance in the electoral rolls, with women voters accounting for only 46 per cent of all registered voters.

Voters will elect 266 candidates to the National Assembly, who will later, by a majority vote, elect the next prime minister. Simultaneously, voters will also elect representatives to their respective provincial assemblies, who will then elect the provincial chief executives under a similar process. Elections have been postponed in one national and three provincial assembly constituencies due to the deaths of contesting candidates. These are NA-8 (Bajaur), PK-22 (Bajaur), PK-91 (Kohat) and PP-266 (Rahim Yar Khan). Voters elsewhere will cast two votes each — one for each of the two assemblies.

In all, 17,816 candidates are in the running, of which 12,695 will be contesting for provincial assembly seats and 5,121 for the National Assembly. They include 16,930 males, 882 females and four transgender persons. Of these, 6,031 candidates — 5,726 males and 275 females — are contesting on a political party’s ticket. The remaining 11,785 are contesting as independents, of which 11,174 are males, 607 females and four transgender persons.

US Congressman Bill Huizenga has urged the government of Pakistan to “prioritise free and fair elections, due process, the rule of law and respect for human rights”.

Voting is set to start in almost an hour at polling stations across the country for the national and provincial assemblies.

The polling process, with more than 128 million registered voters, will continue till 5pm.

Check out the post by the Election Commission of Pakistan below to know the right method of casting your vote.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has called for the government to finally take steps to resolve the issue of missing persons and has condemned the treatment meted out to Baloch protesters in Islamabad.

He said there should be an improvement in how the government treats those protesting in this regard. “I am not satisfied with the approach of caretaker federal and provincial government,” he said about the recent Baloch protests.

Bilawal said a message should have been sent back to Balochistan that the state cared about its interests.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that as per his experience from the campaign trail all over the country, “the ground reality is that the PML-N is not even reaching 100 seats by far”.

He said it remained to be seen what the people decided.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that it is “impossible” for him to become part of a government led by either Sharif brother.

Talking to Geo News, Bilawal said he had a better working relationship and rapport with Shehbaz Sharif over Nawaz Sharif but it was still “impossible for me to take part in a government with either Nawaz or Shehbaz with the PML-N continuing with the same old politics”.

Punjab Election Commissioner Ijaz Anwar Chohan has said that political parties and candidates should play their role for free, fair and transparent elections and ensure compliance with the code of conduct on polling day.

Talking to the media in Lahore, he said, “If political parties and candidates take such steps that create obstacles to the smooth conduct of elections, appropriate measures will be taken”.

He said that returning officers and the presiding officers had been given adequate powers to exercise in such circumstances, adding that the police and army personnel would also be present and it was their duty to control the law and order situation.

The provincial election commissioner said that all arrangements were finalised for the conduct of general elections in Punjab, urging voters to come out of their homes and cast votes.

Reiterating the commission’s commitment to upholding the integrity of the electoral process, he affirmed readiness to tackle any challenges on polling day.

There are traffic jams on major roads in Karachi due to election-related duties, according to updates from the traffic police.

The police said heavy traffic was present in Steel Town, Mauripur road, Jinnah Bridge, Rashid Minhas road, Soldier Bazaar and other areas.

Former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif has emphasized that Nawaz Sharif will be the prime ministerial candidate for the party if the PML-N secures a simple majority in the February 8 polls.

“When the people give their mandate tomorrow, we will discuss it. And if we secure a simple majority, Mian Nawaz Sharif will be our candidate,” he affirmed to Geo News.

The Interior Ministry has established a control room to monitor the overall security situation in the country on the eve of the general elections, state-run Radio Pakistan reports.

Representatives from all provincial home departments, police, the election commission, and concerned agencies will monitor the security situation round the clock through the control room.

The central control room in Islamabad will maintain constant communication with the provincial, regional, and district control rooms.

Close liaison between law enforcement agencies and other departments will be ensured for a timely response in case of any complaint or untoward incident.

PTI leader Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has said the party has given no instruction to the public to take the law into its own hands and engage in vandalism.

Talking to Geo News, he said people had the right to peaceful protest and hoped that there would not be a need for people to stage demonstrations.

Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja has directed authorities to maintain high alertness in security measures and expedite necessary deployments to ensure foolproof security for voters, state-run Radio Pakistan reports.

The instructions come after at least 28 people were killed in back-to-back blasts in Balochistan on the eve of general elections. Separately, a grenade attack was reported in Karachi’s Gulshan-i-Iqbal.

According to Radio Pakistan, CEC Raja held a phone call with all four provincial chief secretaries and police chiefs. He directed the officials to ensure the protection of the offices of district returning officers and returning officers.

Furthermore, he expressed condolences over the recent terrorist attacks in Balochistan and urged officials to take necessary measures to prevent such incidents. Raja also assured them of the ECP’s full support and assistance in this regard.

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif has said that a new government following elections will be compelled to undertake major decisions and pursue another programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Speaking to Geo News, Shehbaz said the restructuring of the economy is the need of the hour to address broader issues facing the national economy.

PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that his party excels in economic management compared to other political factions, particularly the PML-N.

One person was killed while three were injured after a hand grenade exploded near Haji Limo Goth in Karachi’s Gulshan-i-Iqbal, according to police.

In a statement, Mubina Town Police Station House Officer (SHO) Abdul Sattar said the police and bomb disposal team are at the spot to collect evidence. Further investigation is underway, he added.

The incident was reported soon after JUI-F’s Hafiz Hamdullah survived a gun attack on his convoy in Balochistan. Earlier, at least 28 people were killed after back-to-back blasts hit the province on the eve of general elections.

A photo of former prime minister Imran Khan has been circulating on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) since Tuesday, with some claiming it to be taken the same day in Adiala Jail and presenting it as if it was fresh.

An investigation into the picture’s origin has found that it was not from Tuesday, and it was instead taken a few weeks ago.

Read more here.

JUI-F leader Hafiz Hamdullah’s vehicle has come under gunfire in Balochistan’s Chaman, the party’s provincial information secretary, Dilawar Kakar, told Dawn.com.

He said Hamdullah remained safe in the attack. Kakar added that the JUI-F leader’s guards responded to the firing upon which the attackers fled from the scene.

According to the party secretary, Hamdullah was travelling from Chaman to Quetta when the incident took place.

The incident comes hours after at least 28 people lost their lives in back-to-back blasts in the province. In Qila Saifullah, a blast occurred outside the JUI-F election office.

The Election Commission of Pakistan has issued a show-cause notice to PML-N renegade and independent candidate for Narowal’s NA-75 constituency Daniyal Aziz for violations of the election code of conduct.

The commission additionally said that in the case of Aziz winning the general election, his notification would be contingent on the watchdog’s verdict.

The months leading up to the Feb 8 general elections witnessed crucial developments in the country’s political sphere — the return of PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif after a four-year exile, the incarceration of PTI founder Imran Khan and the subsequent dismantling of his party.

The developments were followed by the withdrawal of the PTI’s ‘bat’ electoral symbol, which has resulted in candidates contesting the polls as independents and the party losing out on reserved seats.

With the February 8 elections just a day away, political activity in the country has reached fever pitch after a sluggish start. Campaigning ceased yesterday at midnight. For seasoned politicians, the election season is business as usual.

However, due to the PTI’s predicament, there have emerged a number of unexpected candidates contesting this year’s polls as the party tries to circumvent the obstacles in its path.

Read more here

Given the complexity of Pakistan’s electoral dynamics and unpredictability of the role the various ‘external’ stakeholders may play in it, there have been very few instances in the country’s democratic history when any party has been so confident in its chances that it has relied on campaigning alone to win itself an election.

In reality, despite having all the appearances of a rowdy public brawl, every election has been played like a game of chess.

Most ordinary voters may not realise this, but every political party fights an election on two fronts. The first is the performative one; one that requires prominent faces to strut or weep on stage and woo voters with outlandish promises and/or seductive ‘bayaania’ (narrative, if you so prefer).

The other is a quieter one; one fought by electoral ‘scientists’ — people who know the ins and outs of the electoral process — who work behind the scenes to ensure their party is in a position to win even before the first vote is ever cast.

Click here to read more

Pakistan has had 11 direct general elections so far, with the 12th edition due tomorrow (Feb 8). In theory, this democratic activity is supposed to put the representatives chosen by the masses in charge, which in turn are expected to put the country back on track.

But despite nearly a dozen elections in the bag, general elections in Pakistan do not rid the country of its long running ailments. If anything, they create more strife within political parties.

One big reason that happens is due to the system being ‘rigged’ or ‘manipulated’ in favour of some blue-eyed flavour-of-the-month types, but against certain undesirables no more in the good books of the powers that be.

Read more here

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) has held the chief justice of Pakistan, chief election commissioner and law enforcement agencies answerable for the back-to-back blasts in Balochistan earlier in the day.

At least 28 people were killed in the blasts, which occurred outside election offices of the JUI-F and an independent candidate in Qila Saifullah and Pishin, respectively.

In a statement on X, JUI-F spokesperson Aslam Ghauri said state institutions had failed to maintain the law and order situation in the country. “Political scoundrels who made fun of our reservations are responsible for the blood of these martyrs,” he stated.

The spokesperson urged party workers to step forward and help the administration with medical aid.

JI’s Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has said that 10 out of 30 books of ballot papers were missing at Karachi’s NA-238 constituency, warning that the party would not tolerate any such actions.

Former Pakistani ambassador to the United Nations, the UK, and the United States, Dr Maleeha Lodhi, has said that the significance of voter turnout would reaffirm public faith in electoral mechanisms, APP reports.

She emphasised the importance of young people utilising their voting rights and termed it a pathway towards a more robust and inclusive democratic system.

In response to a query regarding public scepticism on the polling process, Dr Lodhi stressed that robust youth participation would help dispel rumours and perceptions of disillusionment.