Pakistan byelections: Polling underway for 21 vacant seats under strict security

Islamabad [Pakistan], April 21 (ANI): Voting for by-elections in Pakistan is underway for twenty-one vacant seats of National and Provincial assemblies amid strict security on Sunday, ARY News reported.

Elections are being held for five seats in the National Assembly, twelve seats in the Punjab Assembly, two seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, and two seats in the Balochistan Assembly, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan.

There will be no breaks in between the polls until 5 pm.

Election Monitoring and Control Centres have been established by the Election Commission to track and handle citizen concerns during the by-elections, according to ARY News.

The Election Commission Secretariat in Islamabad is home to these centres as well as those at the provincial, divisional, and district levels.

The federal government has temporarily stopped cellphone service in a few districts in Punjab and Balochistan during today's election in an effort to preserve the fairness and security of the electoral process, as per ARY News.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) issued a statement stating that, under the Ministry of Interior's directives, cellular service will be temporarily banned for two days during the by-elections in a few areas of the two provinces.

In order to help the Pakistani Election Commission hold free and fair by-elections in 2024, law enforcement officials stationed in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan must abide by the code and make sure they carry out their tasks legally.

Security personnel are expected to do their tasks within the parameters of their allocated mandate and in accordance with the law, as per the rules provided by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

This is to guarantee that free, fair, transparent, and peaceful by-elections are facilitated in 2024. (ANI)