Interior Minister Gohar Ejaz said the nation has no idea about the kind of threat Pakistan and the intelligence agencies were facing at this moment.

“Not just proactively, not just through sacrifices, they are always looking to ensure the security of the people […] I am responsible for this,” he said, referring to the decision of closing down mobile phone services on election day.

“Even if one incident took place, thousands of lives would have been lost […] in my opinion, the 12-hour-long difficulties we faced are worth it,” Ejaz added.

“The armed forces, Levies and police have played their role. I am confident that the election commission will also fulfil its role,” he added.