Live: Elections 2024

Caretaker Balochistan Information Minister Jan Achakzai has said the electoral process in the province is running smoothly until now and hoped that the same would continue until evening.

“The condition is peaceful in the province and people are coming out to cast their vote,” he said, adding that “terrorists have lost”

“Like other provinces, Balochistan will deliver results after 5pm,” the minister said.

The Election Commission of Pakistan said it received 55 poll-related complaints of which 45 had been resolved while work was underway on the remaining ones.

In a statement, ECP spokesperson Haroon Shinwari said the complaints were regarding clashes, which were solved on the spot.

Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja has said that “the majority of the voters received polling information by messaging 8300”, stating that the electoral watchdog was receiving on average 1.5 to 2 million messages each day.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, he said that the messaging service had been functional since January 29.

He further said that voter registration details were present with the provincial election commissioners as well.

Fixit founder Alamgir Khan says voting has begin at the Askari 4 polling station in Karachi’s NA-236.

Earlier, several reports of a delay in the polling process had emerged.

Chair of the Commonwealth observer group, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, has said he is “quite pleased” with security arrangements across Islamabad.

“We have seen that the government is working to ensure that elections are credible,” he said while speaking at a press conference in Islamabad alongside Caretaker Interior Minister Gohar Ejaz.

“We encourage people to come out and vote because that is the only way you can consolidate democracy in the country,” he added.

Jonathan said a comprehensive assessment of election related security arrangements will be shared on Sunday.

Caretaker Interior Minister Gohar Ejaz has said polling has been smooth in Islamabad and throughout the country.

He made his comments at a press conference alongside the chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

“By the grace of God, voting has been smooth in Islamabad. The camps of every party are present,” he said, adding that he hopes that whichever government comes into power will take Pakistan forward.

The PPP has urged Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa to “issue instructions” on the matter of internet services being suspended across the country, which it says has “impacted voter turnout”.

In a letter, PPP Central Election Cell Incharge Senator Taj Haider said that the party conveyed its “deep concern on the unannounced disruptions of internet”.

Haider pointed out the government’s move was in violation of the 2018 order by the Islamabad High Court that declared the suspension of mobile phone services on the pretext of “security concerns” illegal.

“The closure has also adversely affected reporting and responding to security incidents. One of our workers was shot dead in Mirpurkhas today and it was after an hour that we came to know about the murder,” the letter stated.

It also claimed that “all political parties except PML-N have objected” to the internet disruption. “In spite of our request to ECP to restore services, these services have not been restored.”

Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister retired Justice Maqbool Baqar has expressed satisfaction at the voter turnout in Karachi.

Speaking to reporters in Karachi, he said, “The pattern is the same [during each election] — there are more crowds after lunch. The [number of] voters will increase. Even right now, the turnout is not that bad.”

CM Baqar further said that the caretaker provincial government “fully cooperated” with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to conduct the polls. Ensuring that the polling staff reaches the stations was the duty of the ECP, he added.

The Karachi division of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) has said that “massive rigging” is being carried out in the city by the PPP and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P).

“The shutdown of the mobile services is proof that a plan is being made to bring the desired people. Mobile services have also been shut down to hide evidence of fraud,” the party said.

“It is unfortunate that people’s money is being wasted like this,” it added, demanding strict against those “interfering in the election process”.

Jamaat-i-Islami leader Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, cast his vote in North Nazimabad and expressed serious concerns about communication disruptions due to the shutdown of mobile services.

In a video posted by the party on X, Rehman condemned the suspension of mobile services, labelling it a shameful stunt. He accused the government of paralysing the communication system on the day of the election.

Rehman noted instances of material being transported to polling stations via rickshaws as late as 9:30am and 10:30am, with several locations experiencing delayed or improper polling commencement.

Talking about polling station of NA-246 Orangi Town from where Rehman is contesting elections, he said that the preprations were incomplete and raised concerns about last-minute changes in presiding officers.

Expressing worry over pre-poll rigging and polling inconsistencies, Rehman warned that such issues could cast doubt on the legitimacy of the entire process.

The Election Correspondence Cell of the PTI in Sindh has urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to restore internet services across the country, saying that it was a “brazen assault on democracy”.

In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja, election cell incharge Barrister Ali Tahir said the internet shutdown raised “serious doubts about the ECP’s commitment to fulfilling its constitutional duties”.

“The pretexts provided by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for these internet blackouts are both flimsy and inadequate,” he asserted.

The statement further said, “The suspension of internet services on polling day represents a clear and brazen assault on democracy and the rule of law.”

“Please treat this as a note of protest and immediately order the restoration of [the] internet,” it added.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has called on the nation to leave their homes and vote in order to participate in changing the destiny of the country.

“Voting is a national duty. I have done my duty,” he said in a post on X.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan’s (MQM-P) Dr Farooq Sattar has alleged that the Gizri police station house officer, in connivance with the PPP, were casting fake voters at a polling station in Karachi.

In a statement, he said that the alleged rigging was taking place at the Government Boys and Girls Secondary School in P&T Colony.

“The Election Commission of Pakistan should take immediate notice of this and stop this rigging,” he said. “I appeal to the management to sack the Gizri station house officer immediately,” he said.

The PPP has urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to take action on Shazia Marri’s complaint regarding “attempts to harass voters” at the Berani polling station of NA-209 (Sanghar-I).

In a letter written to Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja, PPP Central Election Cell Incharge Senator Taj Haider said that Marri had complained about the opposition candidate recruiting “volunteers through the police at the polling station”.

He urged CEC Raja to “take action” on the matter as per the law.

Caretaker Sindh Information Minister Ahmed Shah has said the decision to block internet and cellular services has been taken by the federal government keeping in view the recent terror incidents in Balochistan.

At least 28 people were killed in back-to-back blasts in Qila Saifullah and Pishin yesterday. Separately, JUI-F leader Hafiz Hamdullah survived a gun attack on his vehicle en route to Chaman.

Speaking to the media after casting his vote in Karachi, Shah said mobile and internet services would be restored if the security situation remained stable.

“It is very important to protect human lives,” he stated, adding that Pakistan’s enemies had kept an eye on the polling day and the caretakers were doing their best to ensure a smooth polling process.

In response to a question, Shah said shutting down mobile services was the prerogative of the federal government. “Definitely, they took this decision in light of security threats,” the minister added.

PPP Sindh president Senator Nisar Khuhro has cast his vote at Khosa Mohalla Rahmatpur School, Larkana.

Speaking to the media, Nisar said that the caretaker federal government should restore mobile phone services to prevent people from facing any problems.

“Keeping law and order under control is the responsibility of the caretaker government, which should not be punished by shutting down the phone service,” he said. “Shutting down mobile phones is a conspiracy to decrease the turnout.”

He urged the Election Commission of Pakistan to “immediately” issue orders to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the caretaker government to restore mobile phone services. “If mobile phone services are not restored, there will be question mark on the results,” he added.

Pakistan goes to the polls today amid despair and uncertainty. For many, the outcome has already been decided, with one of the largest political parties having been effectively forced out of the race. Yet, surprises cannot be ruled out.

Whatever the result, the 2024 polls will have a huge impact on the future course of Pakistani politics. The most important question is: how would it change the country’s power equation?

With the PTI virtually out of the equation, the stage seems to have been set for Nawaz Sharif’s return to power. The resurrection of the three-time prime minister tells the story of the ever-shifting sands of Pakistani politics.

It is, however, not over yet. The polls could throw up many surprises. A large turnout could defy the odds. The return of a large number of ‘independents’ could alter the entire power game. A fragmented mandate could push the country’s politics onto uncharted territory. Sharif’s dream of being crowned for the fourth time may prove elusive. Let us wait for a new episode of the game of thrones post-Feb 8.

Read the full op-ed here.

Grenade attacks were reported in different parts of Balochistan, but polling remained unaffected since there were no casualties, Saeed Ahmed Umrani, commissioner of the Makran division, told Reuters.

Four policemen were martyred in a bomb blast and firing targeting a police patrol in the Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan district Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, local police chief Rauf Qaisrani said.

Meanwhile, one person was killed when gunmen opened fire on a security forces vehicle in Tank, Reuters reports.

Jamaat-i-Islami’s Karachi wing has requested the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to immediately restore internet services.

“The chances of rigging have greatly increased with the shutdown of mobile and internet services,” it said in a post on X. “The election commission should take notice and restore the service.”

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has demanded the immediate restoration of internet and cellular services across the country.

In a post on social media platform X, it said: “The ongoing disruption to services has occurred despite the Sindh High Court’s direction to the caretaker government to ensure uninterrupted internet services on polling day.”

“With the PTA claiming it has received no instructions from the government to block internet services, there is a worrying lack of transparency about where, when and how long the disruption will continue, thereby affecting voters’ right to information and potentially the transmission of results,” the HRCP said.

It added that those behind the outages should be identified and held responsible.

Google has showcased Pakistan’s general elections with a new logo on Google Doodle, the changeable logo on Google’s homepage. Today’s doodle shows a ballot box with the Pakistan flag displayed on the front.

Nighat Dad, a lawyer who runs the not-for-profit Digital Rights Foundation, has said the outage of mobile and internet services “is an attack on the democratic rights of Pakistanis”.

“Shutting down mobile phone services is not a solution to national security concerns. If you shut down access to information you create more chaos,” she told AFP.

Earlier in the day, the Interior Ministry said mobile phone services had been suspended across the country owing to security concerns. It must be noted that voters rely on a text messaging service, provided by the Election Commission of Pakistan, to confirm the polling station where they are registered.

Forty-year-old Abdul Jabbar said the internet disruption stopped him and his wife from using the service. “PTI supporters helped us to trace it in the end,” he told AFP.

Punches and kicks were exchanged after a clash erupted between two groups outside a polling station in Multan’s NA-149 constituency, Dawn News reports.

Following the incident, an additional contingent of police was called to Karim Town.

The Chairman of National Democratic Movement (NDM) and former member of the National Assembly, Mohsin Dawar, has written a letter to the chief election commissioner urging him to take notice of the security situation in North Waziristan.

In a post on X, he said the Taliban have “taken over the polling stations” in NA-40, Tappi.

“We have also filed an application with the police against an attack there on three of our female polling agents,” Dawar added.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has called for the “normal functionality of mobile services to be restored” in the name of a fair democratic process.

Speaking to the media in Larkana, he said that the suspension of mobile services will impact voter turnout along with the security of the people if “incidents of violence were to happen”.

Most importantly, it would impact the coordination of polling agents during the counting of votes, he said.

PTI Zartaj Gul has said that crowds have gathered at all polling stations in Dera Ghazi Khan’s NA-185.

She requested the public to come out of their homes and “gift” their “valuable votes to prisoner number 804,” referring to Imran Khan.

Dawn.com staffer Azhar Khan faced an hour-long wait due to a reported shortage of staff at a polling station in Gulshan-i-Iqbal for Karachi’s NA-236 constituency.

At the Bright Future School polling station, police were only allowing a maximum of two people to enter every 20-25 minutes, citing a shortage of polling staff.

“This caused a few of the people to leave the queue, saying they would return once the crowd thinned out,” he says.

PTI leader Gohar Khan has requested citizens to exercise their right to vote, saying that people should get out in “maximum numbers” for their “freedom”.

He said that this was the day the citizens were waiting for, and it would prove to be a “critical point for Pakistan’s democratic history”.

He added that the the voting process so far had been going well.

According to Dawn.com correspondent Umar Bacha, poor arrangements by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), particularly the establishment of combined polling stations, has led to a low female turnout in Shangla, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The PPP has urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to take notice of a person’s death due to firing outside the guest house of the party’s president of Mirpurkhas tehsil (NA-242).

In a letter written to Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja, PPP Central Election Cell Incharge Senator Taj Haider said, “Alarming news coming from NA-212 (Mirpurkhas) that one person died in firing.”

He urged CEC Raja to “take action” on the matter as per the law.

Sindh Election Commissioner Sharifullah has taken notice of the snatching of ballot papers from the presiding officer of a polling station in Karachi’s NA-232 (Korangi-I).

The official has summoned a report of the incident in polling station number 37 from the returning officer and district monitoring officer concerned.

Directing police to take action against the miscreants involved, Sharifullah asserted that there would be “no compromise on the transparency” of the polls.

Independent candidate Jibran Nasir says the government has “robbed voters and political parties — specifically PTI and candidates — of their rights by shutting down mobile services across the country.”

“The power brokers are not only against our freedom of expression but also our right to information,” he said. “Anything which empowers the people is despised by the ruling class.”

“But we all have to rise above, take this challenge and step out to vote for the sake of democracy and our collective future,” he added.

In Karachi’s NA-238 constituency, a high voter turnout was observed outside the polling station, but operational inefficiencies led to long queues, according to KAS-Dawn.com fellow Hawwa Fazal.

Notably, there were inadequate provisions for the elderly and disabled individuals, compounding the challenges faced by voters. Naseer Khan, a voter visiting the DMSS Boys School polling station, recounted an incident where a woman — who had undergone a recent knee surgery — was unable to cast her vote due to the booths being located upstairs.

Khan expressed dismay over the situation, saying the presiding officer collected the necessary details for voter registration but failed to return promptly.

Khan said that with the help of some police officers, they carried the woman in her wheelchair to the upper floor. Upon reaching the voting booths, the presiding officer acknowledged the inconvenience and apologised.

When questioned about the delay, the presiding officer said that the station was allotted at 2am. He said that to facilitate the voters who could not climb the stairs, he personally went with a team member to help them cast their vote.