Polling for the Pakistan’s 11th general elections started early at 8 AM and will conclude at 6PM today. The country has set up 85,307 polling stations, of which 17,007 have been declared “highly sensitive”, GeoNews reported.
Upto 12,570 candidates are contesting for a total of 849 seats of national and provincial assemblies in the general election. The elections result are expected to be distributed among three parties vigorously contesting- Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI). PML-N candidate Shehbaz Sharif was among the first to cast his vote, DawnNews reported.
To increase participation in the elections, July 25 had earlier been declared as a holiday. Prominent women rights activist Malala Yousufzai urged the women to participate in the elections in a tweet.
The people of Pakistan – especially women – the power is in your hands. Get up, go and vote! Democracy shall win! #Election2018 🇵🇰🗳 pic.twitter.com/LqVRUK9cjO
— Malala (@Malala) July 24, 2018
Earlier, Shehbaz Sharif, the brother of jailed former premier, Nawaz Sharif claimed that if he won the elections, he would unite Kashmir with Pakistan.
India.com reported that Sharif said he would create an environment for Kashmir to join the country if he gets elected. The report stated that Sharif slammed India for ‘inhumane treatment’ of Kashmiris.
Adding that Kashmir would become part of Pakistan through peace and development, Sharif said: “I believe that it will be like the Berlin Wall being pulled down. It was the prosperity in West Germany that united the two parts.”
Speaking to Geo TV, Sharif said that he would meet the Malaysian prime minister and Turkish President “to learn from them and make Pakistan a great nation again”.
