Islamabad/Karachi: Polling in Pakistan's landmark general election was on Saturday marred by four bomb blasts in Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar that killed at least 10 people and injured over 40. Ten people were killed and three dozen others injured when two bombs went off near the secular Awami National Party's election offices in the southern port city of Karachi hours after thousands of Pakistanis began voting across the country. The...
12:32 PM, May 11, 2013
Islamabad: One vote can change Pakistan's future and "it's our right", teen activist Malala Yousufzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban, said on Saturday, a day when ballotting took place in the country. In a letter carried by the Dawn, Malala said, "It's an honour for me to share some words with my sisters and brothers in my country. If we want education, electricity and natural gas...
11:32 AM, May 11, 2013
Karachi: Five persons were killed and 15 others injured on Saturday when a bomb went off near a secular political party's election office in Karachi, hours after thousands of Pakistanis began voting in a landmark general election. The blast occurred near an election office of the Awami National Party in Landhi area of Karachi. The powerful explosion was heard from several kilometres away and caused panic in the area. State-run...
11:11 AM, May 11, 2013
Islamabad: As many as 75,000 soldiers stood guard across Pakistan as polling began on Saturday. Security cameras had been installed where necessary, a military official told Dawn. Armoured personnel carriers will be used in most sensitive areas and aerial surveillance of these areas will also be conducted. Army is not taking any chances and sniffer dogs too will be pressed into service. The official said 5,000 troops had been deployed...
10:59 AM, May 11, 2013
Islamabad: 2.05 pm: Thirty per cent polling recorded till 2.00 pm. 2:00 pm: The number of people injured in twin blasts in Pakistan on election day rises to 50. At least ten people were killed and 50 others injured in twin explosions outside the Awami National Party office in Karachi's Quaidabad area. A blast also took place near a school in Peshawar injuring 12 people. The school is a designated...
10:54 AM, May 11, 2013
Islamabad: Queues formed outside polling stations in Pakistan on Saturday, with voters eager to cast their ballot. Queues started forming before polling stations opened at 8 am. Voting closes at 5 pm (local time). At a polling station in Islamabad, over 200 people waited to vote. "We want change, we are really fed up with old faces coming back to power every time and doing nothing for the nation," a...
10:32 AM, May 11, 2013
Islamabad: The ballot papers used in the Pakistan polls on Saturday weighed a staggering 650 tonnes, an official said. Soldiers had provided security cover since April 19 to five printing presses where ballot papers had been printed, a military official told Dawn. They transported 650 tonnes of ballot papers to the districts concerned and their polling stations. Fifty army helicopters flew for 347 hours to carry the ballot papers. Pakistan...
10:11 AM, May 11, 2013
Washington: Noting that the results of the Pakistan elections hinges on the voter outcome, a noted Asia Society expert has said that a higher voter turnout more than 50 per cent would benefit Imran Khan, the cricketer-turned-politician. "First and foremost this weekend's elections in Pakistan will hinge on voter turnout, which has been threatened by the Taliban and some other extremist groups," said Senior Advisor, Asia Society, Hassan Abbas on...
09:49 AM, May 11, 2013
Washington: Pakistan has expelled the Islamabad bureau chief for The New York Times on the eve of national elections, according to the influential US daily. The Times has strongly protested the orders of Pakistan's Interior Ministry and is seeking his reinstatement of Declan Walsh, 39, a veteran correspondent who has lived and worked in Pakistan for nine years, most of it for The Guardian newspaper of Britain, the newspaper said...
09:28 AM, May 11, 2013
For Pakistan this is a historic election. It is the 11th general election but the outgoing government is the first to have completed its five-year term. So this is Pakistan's first democratic transition in its 65-year history. ...
08:54 AM, May 11, 2013
Islamabad: Pakistanis began voting on Saturday for a landmark democratic transition of power after a bloody campaign, marred by Taliban violence that killed over 100 people, forced key parties to abandon rallies and large gatherings. Polling for 2013 general election started across the country where masses will cast their vote to elect their representatives for the next five-year term. Long queues of people were seen outside polling stations well before...
08:50 AM, May 11, 2013
Pakistan will vote on Saturday to decide who is next leader amidst threats of terror and violence. ...
08:47 AM, May 11, 2013
Islamabad: Despite a bloody campaign marred by Taliban attacks, polling began in Pakistan on Saturday amidst threats of violence, pitting a former cricket star against a two-time prime minister once exiled by the army and an incumbent blamed for power blackouts and inflation. The vote marks the first time in Pakistan's 65-year history that a civilian government has completed its full term and handed over power in democratic elections. Previous...
07:24 AM, May 11, 2013
Islamabad: Caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso on Friday described as unfortunate the death of Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah Ranjay following an assault in India and called for mechanisms between the two countries to address the issue of prisoners. "Both Pakistan and India should ensure timely and effective implementation of established mechanisms between our two countries to address the issue of prisoners, which is a humanitarian one and should be...
02:49 AM, May 11, 2013
Millions of Pakistanis will go to the polls on Saturday to vote for a landmark democratic transition of power after a bloody campaign marred by Taliban violence, that killed over 100 people, forced key parties to abandon rallies and large gatherings. ...
11:50 PM, May 10, 2013
Millions of Pakistanis will go to the polls on Saturday to vote for a landmark democratic transition of power after a bloody campaign marred by Taliban violence, that killed over 100 people, forced key parties to abandon rallies and large gatherings. ...
11:16 PM, May 10, 2013
Karachi: An independent candidate was on Friday shot dead, while a Pakistan People's Party nominee went missing in the port city of Karachi. Three people, including MQM (Haqiqi)-backed independent candidate Shakeel Ahmed, were killed in the shootout between two rival groups, police said. Shakeel had earlier filed nomination papers as a MQM (Haqiqi) candidate, but his papers were rejected by the Election Commission. He filed an appeal and was allowed...
11:12 PM, May 10, 2013
Karachi: Stung by the criticism over the manner in which he has become the first elected chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board, Zaka Ashraf on Friday insisted that the process adopted by the PCB was according to recommendations of the International Cricket Council. Ashraf has come in for sharp criticism from former heads of the Board and former players over the manner he was elected as PCB chief on Wednesday under...
11:06 PM, May 10, 2013
Islamabad: Millions of Pakistanis will go to the polls on Saturday to vote for a landmark democratic transition of power after a bloody campaign marred by Taliban violence, that killed over 100 people, forced key parties to abandon rallies and large gatherings. Sixty three-year-old Nawaz Sharif-led PML-N is widely tipped to emerge as the single largest party in the polls. He could end up becoming a premier for the third...
10:39 PM, May 10, 2013
Elections in the subcontinent are always a riot of colours, but perhaps no election has quite the mix of tragedy and power that Pakistani elections ...
08:23 PM, May 10, 2013
