[Published: Wednesday July 25 2018]
 At least 31 killed in Pakistan as voting gets under way
QUETTA, Pakistan 25 Jul (ANA) - Violence has erupted as millions head to the polls in Pakistan, with at least 31 dead in the worst attack, a bomb in the city of Quetta.
Elsewhere, minor blasts and clashes between party workers left several injured and two dead.
Voters are deciding between the parties of the former cricket star Imran Khan and the disgraced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
But the campaign has been overshadowed by concerns of fraud and violence.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan says there have been "blatant" attempts to manipulate the polls.
Mr Khan has vowed to tackle entrenched corruption but his rivals accuse him of benefitting from alleged meddling by the powerful military, which has ruled Pakistan for nearly half of its history.
Pakistan is no stranger to political turmoil and the last few months have proved no exception. Nawaz Sharif, the man who won the last election, is watching this contest from prison. He has been jailed for corruption after a scandal stemming from the Panama Papers leak.
Despite tight security across the country, with more than 370,000 troops and hundreds of thousands police officers deployed to secure the ballot, there have been incidents of violence.
Officials say the attack in Quetta, in Balochistan province, was the work of a suicide bomber targeting police at the gate of a polling station. The Islamic State (IS) group said it was behind the attack.(ANA)
FA/ANA/25 July 2018-------
|
