Elections in Pakistan begin with terrorist attacks

Election day in Pakistan, in which voters will choose a new parliament for the first time in 66 years, began with a series of terrorist attacks. According to the BBC, the first explosive device went off in Karachi near the office of the Awami National Party, which is popular among Pashtuns. The second explosion occurred in Peshawar. As a result of the terrorist attacks, at least 10 people were killed and more than forty were injured.

The country has taken exceptional security measures: about 600,000 troops patrol polling stations, and a few hours before the vote, Pakistan closed its borders with Iran and Afghanistan to prevent possible infiltration of militants from neighboring countries into its territory.

Even before voting began, the Taliban called on voters to boycott the elections, backing up their threats with attacks on the offices of the United National Movement and Pakistan People's Party. After this, both parties were forced to curtail their election campaigns. Taliban militants called the ongoing elections “anti-Islamic.”

Explosions occurred in Pakistan throughout the pre-election period. According to Reuters, on May 4, a double terrorist attack occurred in Karachi, killing three people. On April 17, an explosion at an election rally in Peshawar killed between 16 and 20 people. On May 9, unknown persons kidnapped the son of former Prime Minister Yusuf Reza Gilani.

The ongoing elections have already been called the first democratic elections in the history of the country. They are fighting for 272 deputy seats in the National Assembly. According to experts, the favorite in the election race will be the Pakistan Muslim League faction, led by the country's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The main competitor of the PML is considered to be the secular Justice Movement party of Imran Khan. Khan himself dropped out of the election race after falling from a high podium at a rally of his supporters in Lahore on May 6. The politician was hospitalized, but this is unlikely to affect the results of his party, experts say.