Legislative, regional elections Kick off in Pakistan

WORLD, Feb. 08 (YPA) – Pakistan witnesses on Thursday,  legislative and regional elections amidst security and political tensions, expected to lead to the return of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to the government’s presidency for a fourth term.

At exactly 8:00 AM local time, around 90,000 polling stations opened their doors to tens of millions of voters, a day after at least 28 people were killed in two explosions in the southwest of the country.

Approximately 128 million voters have been called upon to cast their votes in these elections to choose the members of the federal parliament, comprising 336 deputies, and members of the regional parliaments.

The Ministry of Interior announced the ‘temporary suspension of mobile phone services’ throughout the country during the election day, citing security reasons for this measure.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the country’s borders with both Iran and Afghanistan will be closed on Thursday in conjunction with the start of the general elections. The border crossings are expected to reopen normally on February 9, 2024.

E.M