Pakistan Votes Today, Jailed Imran Khan Votes by Postal Ballot, Wife Bushra Misses Out

Voting for general elections continues in Pakistan on Thursday. Pakistan has decided to temporarily suspend the mobile service due to the threat of militancy on the polling day.

The main parties in the contest in this cash-strapped country are the jailed former prime minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) of three-time premier Nawaz Sharif. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of former premier Benazir Bhutto, is an outside bid for the top office. According to political analysts, Nawaz Sharif is the front-runner.

Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and other prominent imprisoned political leaders voted through postal ballot from jail.

However, Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, could not vote as she was convicted and arrested after the completion of the postal voting process, Dawn News reported.

Bushra Bibi’s request for a postal ballot could not be entertained since the process had been completed by the time she was put in jail. She is imprisoned at Khan’s Bani Gala residence after the couple was sentenced to 14 years in jail in the Toshakhana corruption case.

Political leaders who have managed to vote by mail included former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid, and former information minister Fawad Chaudhry.

The polling in Pakistan started at 8.00 AM and will continue till 5.00 PM. A total of 128,585,760 registered voters will cast their votes at 90,000 polling stations. The counting will start soon after the conclusion of the voting.

Nearly 650,000 security personnel have been deployed across the country as more than 12.85 crore registered voters will cast their ballots.