Pakistan general elections: Voting begins
Islamabad, July 25 (IBNS): Amid tight security, Pakistan is voting to elect new national and provincial assemblies on Wednesday.
The election will also decide the next Prime Minister of the south Asian nation.
Pakistan's nearly 106 million registered voters are expected to vote on Wednesday.
Voting commenced at 8 am and will continue till 6 pm in the evening.
"As many as 12,570 candidates are contesting for a total of 849 seats of national and provincial assemblies in the general election," reported Geo News.
Voting is taking place across 85,307 polling stations in Pakistan.
Before the elections, the campaigning period witnessed terror attacks which even left several candidates killed.
PPP-PTI fight for supremacy:
The main contest in the poll will be held between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's PTI.
The political battle will also see the participation of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto.
The period of campaigning for the polls ended on Tuesday midnight.
Political parties worked hard to earn greater public support for the polls.
Nawaz Sharif's PML-N will be working hard to earn a second term.
PML-N in trouble:
In a major blow to Nawaz Sharif ahead of the general elections, a Pakistani court on July 6 handed over the former Prime Minister of the country 10 years jail term over his family’s purchase of upscale London flats.
Sharif was awarded ten years of jail and fined eight million pounds by the Pakistani court.
Nawaz Sharif's daughter Maryam, who is also a prominent political figure in Pakistan, was also sentenced to eight years in jail and fined two million pounds by the court.
They were arrested on July 13 after they reached Pakistan from London.
They are currently lodged in Adiala jail in Pakistan.
Imran Khan urges voters to cast their votes early:
PTI chief and former Pakistani cricketer Imran Khan urged people to cast their votes early.
"People of Pakistan must come out and vote tomorrow in this historic election. This is the first time in 4 decades the nation has a chance to defeat the entrenched status quo. Don’t miss this opportunity," Imran Khan tweeted.
Security has been heightened across Pakistan for the crucial day of voting.
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