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Imran Khan’s party giving tough fight to veterans, Pakistan Peoples Party struggling

Pakistan’s democracy turned a corner on Saturday with an impressive turnout after a blood-soaked run-up to the elections. In defying the diktats of the terrorists – who had threatened to dispatch suicide bombers to polling stations to scare voters away – Pakistanis displayed an overwhelming preference for democracy which the Taliban perceives as a Western construct.

Early trends established in counting put the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) ahead with cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) giving many ``electables’’ – a favoured Pakistani term for sure winners -- a run for their money.

As predicted, the PTI was set to pick up seats in both Punjab and Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa.

As for the Pakistan Peoples Party, it was seen having a hard time retaining some of its sure seats though these were still early days in the counting. Results began pouring in immediately after polling closed in most parts of the country.

In fact, television channels began putting out ballot-box-wise results out even as polling was on as the Election Commission allowed an extra hour to make up for time lost in delays on its own account.

Polling delayed

From morning, there were reports from various parts of the country of polling being delayed. In some cases, the delay was caused because polling staff had not turned up while there were also instances of ballot papers not reaching polling stations on time.

In Karachi’s NA 250, polling was delayed because of attempts to hijack vehicles transporting voting material from the Returning Officers to the polling stations.

Given the numbers killed in election-related violence over the past month, polling was by and large peaceful.

24 killed

Still, 24 people were killed in several incidents through the day; the maximum of 11 in a bomb attack on an Awami National Party (ANP) office in Karachi.

Through these elections, the ANP has taken the most severe drubbing; first at the hands of terrorists and then from the voters as the party has suffered serious losses at the hustings.

Smaller bomb attacks were reported from elsewhere; mainly the north-western parts of the country.

There were bomb blasts in Quetta, Mardan and Peshawar while three people were killed in a clash between two groups at Chaman.

In Karachi, there were counter-allegations of rigging with the Jamat-e-Islami even deciding to boycott the polls mid-day. Similar allegations were made by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement which complained that the party’s mandate had been hijacked.