At least five people were killed in militant attacks in Pakistan on Thursday as the country voted in a general election after temporarily suspending mobile phone services and closing some land borders to maintain law and order.
The interior ministry said it took the steps after at least 26 people were killed in two explosions near electoral candidates’ offices in the southwestern province of Balochistan on Wednesday. Islamic State later claimed responsibility for those attacks.
“As a result of the recent incidents of terrorism in the country precious lives have been lost, security measures are essential to maintain the law-and-order situation and deal with possible threats,” the ministry said in a post on messaging platform X.
Thousands of troops were deployed on the streets and at polling stations across the country as voting commenced and borders with Iran and Afghanistan were temporarily closed.
Four policemen were killed in a bomb blast and firing targeting a police patrol in the Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan district in the northwest during the day, local police chief Rauf Qaisrani said.
One person was killed when gunmen opened fire on a security forces vehicle in Tank, about 40 km (25 miles) to the north.
Grenade attacks were also reported in different parts of Balochistan, but polling remained unaffected there since there were no casualties, Saeed Ahmed Umrani, commissioner of the Makran division,
Mohsin Dawar, a candidate from North Waziristan – a hotbed for Islamist insurgents in northwest Pakistan – said in a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), that some polling stations in his constituency were taken over by local “Taliban” who were threatening polling staff and locals.
There was no immediate confirmation from the election commission or security forces.
In spite of the security worries and bitter winter cold, long queues began forming at polling stations hours before voting was due to start. “The country is at stake, why should I come late?” said 86-year-old Mumtaz, a housewife a decade older than Pakistan itself as she queued up in Islamabad.
Besides militant violence, the election is also being held in the midst of a deep economic crisis and in a highly polarised political environment, and many analysts believe no clear winner may emerge.
Unofficial first results in the election are expected a few hours after voting closes at 5 p.m. (1200 GMT) and a clearer picture is likely to emerge early on Friday.
