Pakistan suspends mobile service as citizens vote
ISLAMABAD
Millions of Pakistanis began voting as authorities suspended mobile phone and data services nationwide on Thursday for election day, in a move a digital rights group said was "inherently undemocratic".
At least seven officers were killed in two separate attacks targeting election security details, and officials reported a string of minor blasts in southwestern Balochistan province that wounded two people.
Authorities said they were suspending mobile telephone services across the country during voting "to maintain law and order" following a bloody election campaign — including two blasts on Wednesday.
At least 28 people were killed in twin bomb blasts outside candidates' offices on Wednesday in attacks claimed by the ISIL, and two candidates have been shot dead in the lead-up to the vote.
Nighat Dad, a lawyer who runs the not-for-profit organisation Digital Rights Foundation, said the outage "is an attack on the democratic rights of Pakistanis".
"Shutting down mobile phone services is not a solution to national security concerns. If you shut down access to information you create more chaos. How do you call (anyone) if, God forbid, there is an attack?"
She added that there is more room for disinformation to spread, including about reports of unconfirmed attacks.
"People will of course put their safety first if they are unable to verify rumours of an attack in their area," she said, noting such disinformation could cause voters to stay away from the polls.
Pollsters have predicted a low turnout from the country's 128 million eligible voters following a lacklustre election campaign overshadowed by the jailing of former prime minister Imran Khan, and the hobbling of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party by the military-led establishment.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is expected to win the most seats in Thursday's vote, with analysts saying its 74-year-old founder Nawaz Sharif has won the blessing of the generals.
Polling stations opened at 8:00 am (0300 GMT) and were due to close at 6:00 pm.
"I prayed this morning, then I picked up my brother and we came to cast our vote," said Zaeem Khan, 40, outside a polling station at the Government College of Technology in Lahore.
Officials have deployed more than 650,000 army, paramilitary and police personnel to provide security for an election already marred by violence.
"It has been decided to temporarily suspend the mobile service across the country," a ministry spokesman said in a statement.
The spokesman said "precious lives have been lost" in recent militant attacks in Pakistan and "security measures are essential to maintain law and order situation and to deal with potential threats".
On Wednesday, at least 28 people were killed and more than 30 wounded by two bomb blasts outside the offices of candidates in southwestern Pakistan, in attacks claimed hours later by the Islamic State group.
The foreign ministry said the land borders with neighbours Iran and Afghanistan would be closed to all traffic Thursday as a security measure.
The election figures are staggering in the nuclear-armed nation of 240 million people — the world's fifth-most populous.
Nearly 18,000 candidates are standing for seats in the national and four provincial assemblies, with 266 seats directly contested in the former — an additional 70 reserved for women and minorities — and 749 places in the regional parliaments.